or else

or else idiom
  1. Otherwise, in different circumstances, as in Present your case now, or else you won't have a chance. [c. 1300]
  2. Regardless of any extenuating circumstances, no matter what, as in Be there on time or else! [Second half of 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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