Meaning of ifs and ans | Babel Free

Definitions

hypotheticals; counterfactuals; things that one only wishes were the case

plural, plural-only

Examples

“Away with these ifs and ans, Hans, and these et caeteraes, by mine honor Rowland Lacy none but the king shall wrong thee: […]”

“"Oh!" quoth the Emperor, "Oh, excellent oats! . . . you feed your horses upon ifs and ans. The man that invented ifs and ans certainly made gold of chopped straw! […]”

“And yet such is the constitution of the human golfing soul that it not only fails to achieve it, but invents for itself multiform and manifold ifs and ans for not achieving it— […]”

CEFR level