- had or would rather
- idi had or would rather, to prefer that or to:I had much rather we not stay[/ex]
From formal English to slang. 2014.
had or would rather
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Would rather — Rather Rath er (r[a^][th] [ e]r; 277), adv. [AS. hra[eth]or, compar. of hra[eth]e, hr[ae][eth]e, quickly, immediately. See {Rath}, a.] [1913 Webster] 1. Earlier; sooner; before. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Thou shalt, quod he, be rather false than I.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
would rather — See had better, had rather … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
Us Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch! — is an enduring slogan which appeared in magazine, newspaper, and television advertisements for Tareyton cigarettes from 1963 until 1981. It was the American Tobacco Company s most visible ad campaign in the 1960s and 1970s.BeginningsThe slogan… … Wikipedia
rather — adv. /radh euhr, rah dheuhr/; interj. /radh err , rah dherr /, adv. 1. in a measure; to a certain extent; somewhat: rather good. 2. in some degree: I rather thought you would regret it. 3. more properly or justly; with better reason: The contrary … Universalium
rather — rath•er [[t]ˈræð ər, ˈrɑ ðər[/t]] adv. 1) cvb to some extent: rather good[/ex] 2) in some degree: I rather expect you ll regret it[/ex] 3) more properly or justly: The contrary is rather to be supposed[/ex] 4) sooner: to die rather than… … From formal English to slang
Had rather — Rather Rath er (r[a^][th] [ e]r; 277), adv. [AS. hra[eth]or, compar. of hra[eth]e, hr[ae][eth]e, quickly, immediately. See {Rath}, a.] [1913 Webster] 1. Earlier; sooner; before. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Thou shalt, quod he, be rather false than I.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
rather — 1. Rather is common in BrE as a so called ‘downtoner’, i.e. an adverb that reduces the effect of the following adjective, adverb, or noun, as in It is rather expensive, You were driving rather fast, and He s rather a fool. With nouns, the… … Modern English usage
Rather — Rath er (r[a^][th] [ e]r; 277), adv. [AS. hra[eth]or, compar. of hra[eth]e, hr[ae][eth]e, quickly, immediately. See {Rath}, a.] [1913 Webster] 1. Earlier; sooner; before. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Thou shalt, quod he, be rather false than I. Chaucer … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
had — 1. had better. See better 1. 2. had have. This occurs with unreal (or unfulfilled) propositions in the past, constructed either with if (or an equivalent construction) as in the sentence If I had have known, I would have said something or with a… … Modern English usage
had better, had rather — Had better is widely used in giving advice or issuing a mild threat: We had better get started before midnight. You had better apologize to me for that remark. The phrase had best can be substituted for had better in such expressions. Neither is… … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
