so to speak

Idioms  

1. Phrased like this, in a manner of speaking, as in He was, so to speak, the head of the family, although he was only related by marriage to most of the family members. This term originally meant “in the vernacular” or “lower-class language” and was used as an aristocrat's apology for stooping to such use. [Early 1800s] Also see as it were.

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Example Sentences

"And spermine is, so to speak, the binding agent that brings the strands together. There are only weakly attractive electrical forces between the molecules, and these organise them but do not firmly bind them together."

From Science Daily

But the researchers took steps, so to speak, to determine whether better health caused the longer walks rather than vice versa.

From The Wall Street Journal

With that in mind, strategists at Bank of America are recommending that investors bust out their passports, so to speak, and start searching for better values abroad.

From Barron's

“If the rainfall amounts work out as we’re expecting, this would be a great help to really put a kibosh, so to speak, on the fire season,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

“We really feel betrayed by our system, especially our commissioner that’s supposed to fight for our interest instead of, so to speak, being in bed with the insurance companies,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times