To look the worse for wear

Question

Hello all!I'd really appreciate your help. I'd like to know if a statue, building, gravestone, etc. can "look the worse for wear", or if that expression is used only for describing people. Are there any alternatives you prefer for expressing that an inanimate object looks kind of old, weather-beaten, derelict etc.?Thanks in advance!wuthanya

Avangi · Accepted Answer

The expression can describe anything at all!

My problem is that I've only heard it used in the negative:

She/it looked none the worse for the wear.

She/it didn't look any [the] worse for the wear.

(She/it does not appear to have aged.)

It would be good to get other opinions on the positive usage of the expression.

- A.

Wuthanya · Answer

Hi and thank you for your answer!

What you said about the negative is an interesting point. I'd never heard that expression before today, so I know nothing about its usage. I looked it up in the dictionary and it said "to look the worse for wear", so I'm assuming it must exist in the positive as well, but of course it's possible that it exists but that it's not used very frequently. I have another question, though: is it "the worse for wear" or "the worse forthe wear"? Or can you use both?

Avangi · Answer

I hear it both ways.  "The" is optional.

Wuthanya · Answer

That's good to know, thanks again! <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

To look the worse for wear

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