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3. woe betide

woe betide

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woe betide somebody

also woe be unto somebody

bad things will happen to someone Woe betide anyone who plays Ann's CDs without asking her first. And woe be unto anyone who messes with my desk!

See also: woe

woe betide somebody

  (humorous)

if you say woe betide the person who does something, you mean that they will be punished or cause trouble for themselves if they do that thing Woe betide anyone who plays Ann's tapes without her permission.

See also: woe

woe betide (someone)

1. Used to express the wish for someone to experience misfortune.

2. Used as a warning or allusion to negative consequences: "Even though my dad was no farmer, he was a crack shot and a very good hunter&.... woe betide the unwary moose that wandered down from Canada" (Howard Frank Mosher).

See also: woe