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I heard "40-odd years" on https://youtu.be/9QCgqQdmr0M?t=59:

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What does "40-odd years" mean?

I found https://ell.stackexchange.com/a/44142/3023 but the usage of odd wasn't made clear. Unanswered questions:

  • 40 odd = in the forties? Terry3497 Dec 28, 2014 at 5:45
  • Doesn't 40 odd have a slightly off hand connotation? It feels to me that saying that 40-odd people were killed would probably be regarded as insensitive. DRF Jun 26, 2015 at 12:13
  • 40 odd might mean the same thing depending on context. user3169 (Q: what other meaning can it take if there's a different context?)
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    'Forty-odd' means 'more than forty and less than fifty'. It's an approximation. Some people say that fifty-odd million people were killed in World War 2. Why is that 'insensitive'?
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented May 28, 2023 at 7:12
  • Why quote users' comments, none of which have been upvoted, instead of the answer which was actually posted and provided supporting evidence?
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented May 28, 2023 at 9:18
  • @Mari-LouA The answer doesn't give any evidence regarding the interpretation of odd and has received only one upvote.
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Commented May 28, 2023 at 9:21
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    @FranckDernoncourt - I'd argue that in this idiom it has no actual literal meaning. It's similar to saying "40 something".
    – Billy Kerr
    Commented May 28, 2023 at 11:37
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    @MichaelHarvey There's a rather nice attestation I saw in the OED: "1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III iv. i. 95 Eightie odde yeares of sorrow haue I seene".
    – Billy Kerr
    Commented May 28, 2023 at 13:03

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A number followed by -odd is an idiomatic expression. The word "odd" here has no literal meaning as such. I had to search the OED to find the relevant entries for this usage. It has no negative connotations. It's basically a way to refer to an approximate number.

So forty-odd years means something very similar to between 40 and 50 years, approximately within that range or thereabouts. Possible synonyms are: forty-something, or forty and a bit, or forty or so, or specifically when talking about peoples' ages: in his forties.

odd, adj., n.1, and adv.

A. adj. I. With reference to number.

4. More generally: used to denote a remainder or numerical surplus over and above a ‘round number’ (as a multiple of ten or a similar unit such as dozen, etc.), and thus becoming virtually an indefinite cardinal number of lower denomination than the round number named.

c. Immediately following the numeral (usually one that denotes multiples of ten) forming a phrase preceding the noun modified. Now often in weakened use (frequently hyphenated): ‘or so’; ‘or thereabouts’.

1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III iv. i. 95 Eightie odde yeares of sorrow haue I seene

Source: OED.com.

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