meaning - Why do we say "as it were"?


In English we often add "as it were" to indicate that a phrase is not to be taken literally; for example:



He's flown from the nest, as it were.



... would indicate that a boy has left his parent's house, via the "flown from the nest" idiom. But, why does "as it were" clarify that this is an idiom?



Answer



Interesting thought: that as it were might be an idiom, used to emphasize that something else in the sentence is also an idiom.


Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines as it were thusly:



as it were :
as if it were so; in a manner of speaking



Wordnik lists these synonyms:




  • so to speak

  • in a way

  • in a manner of speaking



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