"...most ideal of time..."

Question

"Hmmm. Five o'clock in the afternoon. Well that might not be the most ideal of time but I guess we'll have to cope with it."Hi allIs it natural to say 'the most ideal of time'? Also, would I change the meaning of it if I said '...have to live with it' instead?Thank youPBF

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

You need one of these:
... the most ideal time, but I guess ...
... the most ideal of times, but I guess ...
___
... have to live with it would be even better than ... have to cope with it, in my opinion.
CJ

Peaceblinkfriend · Answer

I see. Thanks for your reply.

PBF

Avangi · Answer

"Live with it" and "cope with it" are pretty close. "Cope with it" might be a little closer to "deal with it." "Live with it" may or may not imply an interactive struggle - that is, you might just give in, or give up, or "put up with it."

To my ear, "the most ideal of time" is not natural. We have two possible meanings of "time" here. This is a good time to go fishing, AND These were the best of times; these were the worst of times.

IMO, when you use "of," you must use "times" in the plural, and "times" is meant to indicate a period, or era, as in "the good ol' days."

My advice would be to delete the "of."

- A.

Edit. I see Jim accepts "most ideal of times" as a short term. I was actually on the fence about that, but I'll cheerfully go along with his view.

Peaceblinkfriend · Answer

Thank you for your reply, Avangi.

I guess I'll use say 'the most ideal time' just to avoid any confusion.

Thanks again

PBF

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