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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Vocabulary

a good deal the worse for/none the worse for

Dear colleagues,

I ran across the following in an old Russian textbook today:

He was dressed in a blue suit a good deal the worse for wear.
and
This is an old coat, but it is none the worse for wear.

I guess these are examples taken from literature, but I can't really figure out the meaning of each of them, since I've never heard any of these expressions before. Have browsed the net in search of an answer, but no decent answer is given. Is that something that native speakers say a lot? Could anyone help me?

Thanks in advance,
Lilia
  

Top answer

Anonymous He was dressed in a blue suit a good deal the worse for wear. It's worn out. = It looks old.

— Canadian45

  • Anonymous He was dressed in a blue suit a good deal the worse for wear.
  • It's worn out.
  • = It looks old.
  • This is an old coat, but it is none the worse for wear.
  • = It still looks like a new coat.
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5 Answers
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AnonymousHe was dressed in a blue suit a good deal the worse for wear. It's worn out. = It looks old.

This is an old coat, but it is none the worse for wear. = It still looks like a new coat.
Is that something that native speak
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"He was dressed in a blue suit a good deal the worse for wear"

canadian45, why did you cross out "the"?
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Blue Jay"He was dressed in a blue suit a good deal the worse for wear"canadian45, why did you cross out "the"?
Because I think it is unnecessary and also sounds bad.

none the worse
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The worse for wear - I would prefer to leave the "the" in there. It's an established idiomatic phrase that has been around in its present form for over 200 years, and similar constructions were in use a couple of centuries before that, so I see no need to treat it as if it were today's English and re-write it, even th
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Blue JayThe worse for wear - I would prefer to leave the "the" in there. It's an established idiomatic phrase that has been around in its present form for over 200 years,
a good deal the worse
I am not trying to change anything. I just don't recogniize "the" as a crucial part of the expression.
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