English · Idiom Historical

to have had one's time

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

A British soldiers' expression in World War II for being ripe for death, to expect imminent disaster.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Time Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “to have had one's time” mean?

A British soldiers' expression in World War II for being ripe for death, to expect imminent disaster.

Is “to have had one's time” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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