Perhaps acalque ofFrenchd’un certain âge.[1]
Prepositional phrase
[edit]ofacertainage
- (euphemistic, chiefly of a person)Middle-aged or older.
- Near-synonyms:(indeterminate)getting on in years,on in years,long in the tooth;(past middle age)older,senior,elderly,geriatric;see alsoThesaurus:elderly
a ladyof a certain age
Now that I'mof a certain age, I need reading glasses to see up close.
1989,Graham Lyle,Albert Hammond, “I Don't Wanna Lose You”, inForeign Affair, performed byTina Turner:Womenof a certain age / They learn to rely and your job is responses / Having played the mating game
The implied age range is not fixed and has varied over time, partly due to lengthening of the life span.[2]
- ^John Ayto, editor (2009),The Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms,→ISBN
- ^William Safire (1995 July 2) “A Woman of a Certain Age”, inThe New York Times[1],→ISSN
