Timeline for What's the phrasal verb that asks the crowd to make way for me to move forward?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
16 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Sep 14, 2022 at 23:12 | comment | added | Mr. Nichan | It's weird to think of "make way" as an Americanism. It sounds like something they would say in a medieval fantasy or period drama. Less subjectively, "make way" is used exactly 8 times in Shakespeare's plays, so it clearly existed in Early Modern English, which is what medieval and pseudo-medieval dramas and actually imitate. opensourceshakespeare.org/search/search-advanced.php (Check "exact phrase (slower)", put in "make way", without quotation marks, as a keyword, then hit "search".) | |
| Sep 14, 2022 at 20:33 | comment | added | Greenonline | As a BrE speaker, I thought that "gang plank" was the access to a ship, not "gangway". In addition, I recall in either (old-fashioned comedic) movies or cartoons, people crying "gaaaangwaaaay!" when approaching a crowd at speed and needing to warn said crowd that they should part to make way.... | |
| Sep 14, 2022 at 17:36 | comment | added | Kevin | I would personally always write "gang way" as two words for this usage because for most instances of phrasal verbs where you have both a noun version and a verb version, the noun is written as one word and the verb is written as two. E.g. setup vs set up, login vs log in | |
| Sep 14, 2022 at 15:28 | comment | added | Schmuddi | For what it's worth, the OED defines the interjection gangway as follows: "Originally Military. As a demand or warning to get out of the way: ’Make way!’ ‘Stand back!’"; the latest use listed in the OED is from 1992 ("‘Gangway, gangway, serious casualty here. Make way, make way’, he yelled, butting at the bodies in front of him."). This supports the comments that question gangway's appropriateness for a normal, non-official use. | |
| Sep 14, 2022 at 14:17 | comment | added | Fattie | If a "normal" person says make way, you will be laughed at and punched. Police or emergency workers would use that. | |
| Sep 14, 2022 at 9:13 | comment | added | U. Windl | "Would "Give way, please!" be incorrect? | |
| Sep 14, 2022 at 9:11 | comment | added | Tristan | seconding that "make way" and "gangway" both sound archaic to me (late 20's & English). I wouldn't expect to hear them in a work of fiction set later than the end of 19th century, or in certain contexts where the specific language was set centuries ago (like at a state opening of parliament or similar). "Let through" is the only phrasal verb I'd consider current for this purpose | |
| Sep 14, 2022 at 7:53 | comment | added | Will Vousden | As a native BrE speaker, if someone shouted "gangway" at me I would have no idea what they were talking about. This phrase is either very obscure or very old-fashioned. To me, "gangway" just means the thing you walk along to access a ship. | |
| Sep 13, 2022 at 20:40 | comment | added | gotube♦ | @Satya Yes, "Let me through" is 100% natural | |
| Sep 13, 2022 at 18:23 | comment | added | EllieK | Except no one would ever say make way or gangway when pushing through a crowd, not in the U.S. Well, maybe if they were in a movie from the 1930s but not in the modern world. Your only options here are excuse me and coming through. They would most often be combined into excuse me, coming through. | |
| Sep 13, 2022 at 18:05 | vote | accept | Satya | ||
| Sep 13, 2022 at 17:56 | comment | added | Dmann | @Satya yes, "make way" is a set phrase. You can see it listed under the uses in the definition I linked. | |
| Sep 13, 2022 at 17:53 | comment | added | Weather Vane | Is it a set phrase? Please follow the links that readers provide. | |
| Sep 13, 2022 at 17:51 | comment | added | Satya | Thanks! Is "Make way" a set phrase? I would've said "Make way for me" otherwise. Also, the phrasal verb that I was thinking of was "Let me through". Would it be appropriate to say this while I elbow my way through a crowd? | |
| Sep 13, 2022 at 17:41 | comment | added | Weather Vane | UV for the gangway. I was about to post "make way" but OP has already used this. | |
| Sep 13, 2022 at 17:32 | history | answered | Dmann | CC BY-SA 4.0 |