woe betide

See also: woebetide

English

Etymology

From Early Modern English, loosely translating into modern-day English to mean May woe rise up against, formerly used to decry a person's actions. Grammatically, it is a phrase whose verb is in the subjunctive mood.

Verb

woe betide

  1. (idiomatic) Bad things will happen to
    Woe betide you if you try that with my sister again!
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.