'bout time
1
9.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
ya era hora
- 'Bout time they fixed that broken sign in the park.
Examples
-
So straightforward. 'Bout time someone said this.
Blog text (23) -
'Bout time these guys showed up.
-
'Bout time you learn how to drive.
-
'Bout time you get down here.
-
"Hey man! 'Bout time you made it!"
Fiction book (1997) -
Maybe you've finally seen some sense boy, bout time.
-
'Bout time you finally arrived for the meeting!
-
'Bout time you decided to join us for dinner.
Synonyms
60
4.9
Say this when something happens later than it should
Antonyms
How Impatient
- Informal
30
3.8
- Informal
1
9.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
'bout + time
'Bout is a colloquial reduction of 'about' and 'time' retains its literal meaning, but the sense 'it's high time' or 'this should have happened already' is a pragmatic/idiomatic use not directly composed from the two words. The connection is partially inferable (concern with timing) and cross-linguistic equivalents exist, so learners may partially guess the meaning but typically need exposure to the idiomatic function.
Etymology
The expression 'bout time is a short, spoken form of 'bout and time, from the full phrase 'about time' meaning 'the right moment has come'. People say 'bout time when something happens late, as if to say 'it should have happened earlier', so the phrase shows impatience.