Tomorrow's impossible. We'drather you came next weekend.
They'drather've spent the money on a holiday.
1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster,The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.:Field Museum of Natural History,→ISBN, page vii:
Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material,rather than on herbarium plants.
1897 October 16, Henry James, chapter IX, inWhat Maisie Knew, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Herbert S. Stone & Co.,→OCLC,page94:
What the pupil already knew was indeedrather taken for granted than expressed, but it performed the useful function of transcending all textbooks, and supplanting all studies.
His ‘Iliad’ is spirited and polished, and, though oftenrather a paraphrase than a translation, is always more truly poetic than most of the best translations.
All this was extraordinarily distasteful to Churchill.[…]Never before had he felt such repulsion when the vicar displayed his characteristic bluntness or coarseness of speech. In the present connection—orrather as a transition from the subject that had started their conversation—such talk had been distressingly out of place.
I didn't want to leave. Orrather I did, just not alone.
1683, John Dryden, transl.,Plutarch's Lives: Life of Pompey, translation of original by Plutarch:
Pompey, being elated and filled with confidence by this victory, made all haste to engage Sertorius himself, and therather lest Metellus should come in for a share in the honour of the victory.
(somewhat): This is anon-descriptive qualifier, similar toquite andfairly andsomewhat. It is used where a plain adjective needs to be modified, but cannot be qualified. When spoken, the meaning can vary with the tone of voice and stress. “He wasrather big” can mean anything from “not small” to “huge” (meiosis with the stress onrather).
(preference): When expressing preference, the expression is usuallywould rather orhad rather, usually contracted to’d rather, butwill rather andshould rather also exist.Rather is only used for actions, unlike(would)prefer. In fact, use without any modal verb also exists in nonstandard and dialectal usage, in whichrather is used as a verb (he rathers/rathered); see below.
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
"Do you mean to say, young man," she said frostily, "that you expect me to drink this stuff?" ¶ "Rather! Bucks you up, you know."
1950, C. S. Lewis,The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe:
"Farewell, Daughter of Eve," said he. "Perhaps I may keep the handkerchief?" "Rather!" said Lucy, and then ran towards the far-off patch of daylight as quickly as her legs would carry her.
"Some of us stupid old die-hards believe that there is yet room for pride in one's work, Pook," Mr Pants said with dangerous emphasis. "Oh,rather, sir. I'd much sooner walk to London Town than ride in one of those motorcars we've heard tell of, sir."
Until just before the pie was popped into the heat. A few of them suddenly realized who put that gorgeous hunk of crackers together, and gaped. We grinned back, but very cool. The ones who knew said nothing,rathering to die than let on they had been hustled by two negative dudes.
It was a plain brown dress, more or less the colour of my hair; and the walls of our kitchen being also brown, when I came downstairs again I could hardly be seen. I should haverathered a blue gown, or a violet one;[…]
2002, Elizabeth Bowen,The Heat of the Day:
So you must excuse my saying anything I did: all it was, that up to the very last I had understood us all to be friendly — apart, that is, from hisrathering me not there. How was I to know he would flash out so wicked?
2007, Mikel Schaefer,Lost in Katrina, page323:
"That was a killer," said Chris. "I'drathered die in St. Bernard than spent one minute over there. I would haverathered the storm, shaking with the wind and rain hitting in the boat for an eternity than spending any time there.
