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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

Lord willing and the creek don't rise en · X

Pronunciation

Etymology

Statements of the form "God/Lord willing and (some other condition being met)" are ancient extensions of simple acceptance of God's will in phrases like God willing and Lord willing. "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe.

Meanings

  1. (US, idiomatic, informal) Barring unforeseen circumstances.
    • Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest.
    • Near-synonym: hopefully (sentence adverbial sense)

Antonyms

hell no · God forbid

Coordinates

come hell or high water

Relateds

up shit's creek without a paddle

Synonyms

more at Thesaurus:God forbid § Antonyms · God willing and the creek don't rise · hopefully · Lord willing · God willing

Translations (4)

nl bij leven en welzijn (phrase) · fi jos Luoja suo (phrase) · pl jak Bóg pozwoli (phrase) · nl ijs en weder dienende (phrase)