Expression: several times over

Haihao · Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:45 am *Expression: several times over*

Hi,

Could you please clear this up for me as it's in "Sure you have. Why, he's a illionaire several times over!''?

Does 'over' have a sense of 'throughout' so as to make the phrase mean 'up to several times'? Is there any possibility that it suggests 'more' so the phrase could have a meaning of 'more than several times'?

Thank you!

Haihao

Alan · Thu Apr 19, 2007 8:55 am *Expression: several times over*

Hi Haihao,

'Several times over' suggests multiplication by a large factor. The word 'times' is used in multiplication tables as in '10 times 5' is 50. In your sentence

Haihao · Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:27 am *Expression: several times over*

Hi Alan,

Thank you ever so much for your interpretation and sorry for the missing of 'm'. But I wonder if you could further explain for me what the function of 'over' is in the phrase? Thank you!

Haihao

Alan · Thu Apr 19, 2007 10:10 am *Expression: several times over*

Hi,

'Over' suggests to me 'again'. You can find this in a sentence like: I've told you over and over (again and again) not to do that!

A
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Haihao · Fri Apr 20, 2007 1:15 am *Expression: several times over*

Thanks again, Alan. I have got everything I wanted now.

Haihao

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