so to speak

Idioms  

1. Phrased like this, in a manner of speaking, as in He was, so to speak, the head of the family, although he was only related by marriage to most of the family members. This term originally meant “in the vernacular” or “lower-class language” and was used as an aristocrat's apology for stooping to such use. [Early 1800s] Also see as it were.

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Example Sentences

"The fact that we've 'gone there', so to speak, makes it easier for us to have close friendships without any lingering tensions or question marks," she says.

From BBC

The U.S. speed limit on growth, so to speak, has been seen at around 1.8%.

From MarketWatch

“I think that was too jarring a shift in the grocery-shopping experience that consumers are accustomed to, and they didn’t buy it, so to speak,” he said.

From MarketWatch

“You care about lighter and stronger and a dozen other things. And so AI is very good at keeping all of those in its head, so to speak.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Small-cap stocks are taking share, so to speak.

From Barron's