by rights
4
5.6
- idiom
:
por derecho
- By rights, she ought to be the one leading the project since she did the majority of the research.
So So we ended up going and let me describe how he got in because he shouldn't by rights get into the secret archive because he doesn't have those credentials.
- So So we ended up going and let me describe how he got in because he shouldn't by rights get into the secret archive because he doesn't have those credentials.
Examples
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I suppose I ought to be giving you a few bits of fatherly advice by rights.
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By rights, I should scold you for running off like this.
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Ought to be inside somewhere, by rights.
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You see, by rights, you discovered her.
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Now by rights, I should tell David.
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Now, by rights, these two guys should have nothing to do with each other.
Blog text (4) -
By rights it should be me in this hole, not you.
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By rights, I should be with my husband.
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By rights, I should be spending the night here.
Fiction book (2000) -
You know by rights I could take this farm back today, don't you?
Synonyms
113
2.6
In a fair way because someone deserves it
100
1.0
In an honest way that treats everyone the same
72
3.7
In a fair and legal way
62
3.7
In a way that follows the law or accepted rules
20
3.4
In a fair and honest way
17
4.6
For a good reason that can be shown to be right
6
6.0
In a fair way that gives everyone what they need
2
4.8
According to the law or what is fair
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
by + right
The phrase 'by rights' can be directly inferred from 'by' (meaning 'according to') + 'rights' (what is fair or just), yielding 'according to what is right/just'. The preposition + noun pattern (cf. 'by law', 'by design') is a regular compositional pattern in English, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to derive the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase by rights comes from old law talk. By meant 'according to' and rights were the things a person was allowed to have, so saying by rights is a short way to say something should happen because it is 'fair' or 'proper'.