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time was
time was (when)
there was a time when; at a time in the past. Time was when old people were taken care of at home. Time was when people didn't travel around so much.
time was
Formerly, in the past, as in Time was, the city streets were perfectly safe at night. [Mid-1500s]
time was
There was once a time: "Time was when [urban gangs] were part of a ... subculture that inner-city adolescence outgrew" (George F. Will).