as it were, in a way; so to speak: Dictionary.com
I know it’s right and I use it but why? It was, they were.
He became, as it were, a man without a country.
Sort of like the phrase: “here’s the thing”.
Listen, here’s the thing, because of previous actions, he became, as it were, a man without a country.
Strange how phrases creep in.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/11/messages/390.html
apparently, it is because it’s the subjunctive.
just need to know what that is now. expression of a wish or desire?
We can let Saparris decide. He has his PhD. in Subjunctive.
Ah, the subjunctive!
As it were is indeed subjunctive—a slightly abbreviated form of as if it were so. It expresses a wish, a desire, or a condition contrary to fact. Thus, the subjunctive mood is required.
Ars longa, vita brevis
Like a rat to cheese, his nose found the subjunctive.
