What does woe is me mean

The tone is archaic, often self-deprecating, and mock-heroic. Improve this answer. Hugh Hugh 8, 1 1 gold badge 12 12 silver badges 38 38 bronze badges. Your answer seems confirmed by the OED entry b. Now only arch. Hot Licks Hot Licks You might care to supplement your answer with material and references from here.

Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. Sign up using Facebook. Sign up using Email and Password. Post as a guest Name. Email Required, but never shown. Featured on Meta. She mourns that his chivalry has now transformed into apparent madness. She feels sorry for herself as she has never expected to see Hamlet in this situation. The phrase used in the last line shows its meanings clarified through this sad speech. The above poem touches on the literal meanings of the phrase.

The poet reflects the sad and never-ending woes of his life. He was born in a poor family that lacked even the basic necessities of life, which was filled with untiring struggle and intense labor. What does whoa is me mean? Some writers unfamiliar with the idiom might use whoa is me when they really mean woe is me. As you can see in the below graph, whoa is me is so widely accepted as incorrect that according to the Google Ngram viewer, no English writer has used it in a published book for at least two centuries:.

This graph is charting whoa is me vs. You should never use whoa is me. Woe is me is the only correct version of this phrase, even though it looks odd today. The word woe contains and O and an E , the two letters that begin the words Old English. Lack of self-control while trying to do things our own way causes us to miss the blessings that come from fully trusting in the lord. Then there comes the woe-is-me factor as if the lord is against you in some way.

Now, here comes the pity party and lack of faith in that which you know is true. Popular now. Who uses woe is me? Note This is not meant to be a formal definition of woe is me like most terms we define on Dictionary.