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.

---

Example Sentences

"I do believe there is a place to never want to kill the joy, so to speak," said McCullum.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026

But I’ll do my best to pull it off, so to speak.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

“But Ramón always finds a way to ‘put the vitamins in the ice cream,’ so to speak.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms and Microsoft have to deliver the goods, so to speak.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

Again, it was Peter who saved our bacon, so to speak.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo