more's the pity
1
9.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
más pena
- She doesn't take after her mother or her grandmother; she's more like Aunt Malena, more's the pity.
- say, "more's the pity"
Examples
-
"More's the pity," said the captain, frowning thoughtfully, and took his leave.
Fiction book (2001) -
Yeah, more's the pity.
-
Nor can I believe in it, either - more's the pity.
Fiction book (2001) -
Never sooner, more's the pity, but never later, which is a blessing.
Fiction book (2001) -
Though she wasn't in it very long, more's the pity.
Fiction book (1995) -
He said, "No, and more's the pity."
Fiction book (1998) -
Except I'm not on the Emerald Isle, of course; more's the pity.
Fiction book (1995) -
However, she wasn't here; more's the pity, but Theo Stern was here.
Fiction book (1990) -
More's the pity.
Blog text (30) -
It's raining again, and more's the pity for those planning a picnic.
Synonyms
∞
2.9
Shows that something is sad or unlucky
643
3.3
Saying that something is unfortunate or disappointing
291
1.0
To show that something is unfortunate or disappointing
140
7.4
To show sadness or feel sorry about something bad
35
4.6
Saying that something is sad or disappointing
How Regretful
Surface Forms
Morphology
more's + the + pity
The noun 'pity' clearly signals regret, so a learner who knows the constituents could infer the phrase relates to something unfortunate. However, the contraction 'more's' (more is) and the archaic/inverted structure make the exact pragmatic meaning and usage ('it's a shame' or 'all the more regrettable') not fully predictable from the parts, so it is only partly transparent.
Etymology
More's the pity comes from an older phrase more is the pity, where pity simply meant 'a sad thing' and more shows it is even worse. So when people say more's the pity, they point out extra sadness or 'regret', which is why we use it to mean 'that's unfortunate'.