of a certain age

English

Etymology

Perhaps a calque of French d'un certain âge.[1]

Prepositional phrase

of a certain age

  1. (euphemistic, chiefly of a person) Middle-aged or older.
    Near-synonyms: (indeterminate) getting on in years, on in years, long in the tooth; (past middle age) older, senior, elderly, geriatric; see also Thesaurus:elderly
    a lady of a certain age
    Now that I'm of a certain age, I need reading glasses to see up close.
    • 1989, Graham Lyle, Albert Hammond, “I Don't Wanna Lose You”, in Foreign Affair, performed by Tina Turner:
      Women of a certain age / They learn to rely and your job is responses / Having played the mating game

Usage notes

The implied age range is not fixed and has varied over time, partly due to lengthening of the life span.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ John Ayto, editor (2009), The Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms, →ISBN
  2. ^ William Safire (2 July 1995) “A Woman of a Certain Age”, in The New York Times‎[1], →ISSN
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