Someone good with English needed to clear something up for me

[Slick]

I just say "if worst comes to worst", I've never heard anyone say it with and the "the"s in it before

[madad2005]

Agreed. English (and therefore superior) opinion.

Aren't you always!? ;-)

[Gerrard]

Surely it should be if worst comes to worse. As in, if the situation which is the worst, was to become less good it would become worse. So the worst situation today that becomes even more bad would become the new worst situation.

Isn't this why they invented Google?

Actually, I always thought of it as the other way round, like BlindMelon said. "If worse comes to worst, then..." i.e., if something bad goes really tits-up, then....

[htid]

I just say "if worst comes to worst", I've never heard anyone say it with and the "the"s in it before

Same here

[chicken]

I would say "If the worst comes to the worst", I don't think I can quite explain why but "worse" sounds wrong to me in either place as it's not a thing but a state, whereas worst could be either.

My interpretation of it is "If the worst thing, comes to the worst scenario", if that helps?

(Oh by the way cultural background for me is English Mum, Scottish dad, 5 years in Texas followed by 13 years in Wales then England for most after that, ending down here in Kent for the last 2.5 years.)

[Dareos]

a groan is as good as a laugh

[M0nkeyb0Y]

No one has mentioned sausage skins yet, or is that a wurst case scenario?

I hope to see that in Clunk Gold Volume 3
lmao

[merdat]

Yes def. 'If the worst comes to the worst'

[Rob_B]

'If it goes tits up' is more my choice of phrase!

...but if not then it'd be 'if the worst comes to worst'

[Stewart]

Its all gone Pete Tong > Its all gone tits up > Worst comes to the worst.

[kalniel]

"If worst comes t' worst."

Well, it is in derbyshire/yorkshire anyway

[Clunk]

"If worst comes t' worst."

Well, it is in derbyshire/yorkshire anyway

'Appen it is

[bledd]

worse = poorer (than the one before)
worst = poorest (the very bottom)


i'd say

if worse comes to worst (if it goes bad, then badder again)

[BlindMelon7]

Thats what I meant . Well said

[SteveC]

As a Londoner, I've always included the 'the's.

I suspect kalniel's correct, and we have a case of some Yorkshire-style tinkering with 'the'.

Ee ba gum and all that.

[bledd]

Thats what I meant . Well said

don't know if its correct, but thats what i think when i say it!