many a
44
3.4
- idiom
- Literature
:
muchos
- For instance, many a potential entrepreneur has been blocked by the need to maintain health insurance.
- many a day
- many a teacher
- many a reader
It's as if I've spent many a year cracking eggs.
- It's as if I've spent many a year cracking eggs.
- And so I've lost many a friend by the mirror.
- I have helped many a client through ICLIS construction and quite a few friends.
- And you know, it was a well regarded coach who had birthed many a career.
- I'm not an expert on pronunciation, so you could have written many a book.
- But I've worked many a fire, many of medical calls, fire calls.
- And sadly, for example, many a narcissistic boss expects this of their staff and employees.
- And let me tell you, there's many a day I have spiralled out of control and I probably will again.
- And I drank many a fancy latte from our wedding gift espresso maker from these fancy little China cups.
- And and that includes many, many a scrape on the streets.
- There's so many a poop bag dispenser.
- Tell us, old man, what have needled many a perennium?
- I also believe they have pink, green, black, many a colour.
Examples
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I have brought many a precarious load home from the garden center.
-
You'll find this spicy cheese spread in many a restaurant in the South.
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In some cases it was not, but certainly in many a case it was.
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But you know, that was many a year ago.
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I have been given stern words and side eye from many a museum security guard.
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Many a prayer say yes, many a prayer by people who would never think of saying a prayer.
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Indeed, his usual activity was sleep, and he would spend many a daylight hour in bed.
Academic text (1995) -
There's many a good tune played on an old Banjo.
-
Rather, worksheets and testing greet young children at the door of many a schoolhouse these days.
Academic text (2005) -
In some cases it was not, but certainly in many a case it was.
Synonyms
Each of many people or things, one by one, often used in formal writing
Antonyms
How Many
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituent 'many' clearly signals a large number, so part of the meaning is visible; however the construction pairs it with the singular article 'a' and a singular noun (a distributive/archaic pattern), which is grammatically unexpected and not fully predictable from the parts. Because the singular pattern and register make the overall sense non-obvious without exposure, this is best classified as partially transparent.
Etymology
Many a comes from long ago when a meant 'one', so people pictured many single things, each counted as 'one'. That's why many a before a singular noun means 'a large number of'.