or so

See also: orso and orsó

English

Phrase

or so

1. Roughly, approximately.

   How many people came to the party? – Thirty or so.

   It was about half full or so.

   • 1728, [John] Gay, The Beggar’s Opera. […], London: […] John Watts, […], →OCLC, Act II, scene ii, page 21:

     A VVeek or ſo vvill probably reconcile us.

   • 1951, C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia:

     When everyone had finished off with a drink from the well and an apple or so, the Dwarf produced a pipe about the size of his own arm, filled it, lit it, blew a great cloud of fragrant smoke and said, "Now."

Usage notes

• Coordinates with an adjective, adverb, noun or other type of word indicating a quantity

Translations

roughly, appoximately

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 大約／大约 (zh) (dàyuē), 左右 (zh) (zuǒyòu)

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: of zo (nl)
• Finnish: suunnilleen (fi), noin (fi)
• German: oder so
• Irish: nó faoin tuairim sin
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: eller noe

  Norwegian Bokmål: omtrent (no)

  Nynorsk: omlag

• Polish: mniej więcej (pl), z hakiem (pl), z okładem
• Portuguese: cerca de, ao redor de, à volta de, mais ou menos, aproximadamente (pt)
• Russian: или около того (ili okolo tovo)
• Scottish Gaelic: no mar sin
• Spanish: más o menos (es)

Anagrams

• 'roos, Oros, roos, soor