eli5 What does the term “woe is me” mean?
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Woe means sorrow or distress.
“Woe is me” is a way to exaggerate/emphasize that you’re so sad or distressed that you have literally become woe. “I’m so sad that I’ve become the concept of sadness itself”.
Woe – great sorrow or distress.
“Woe is me” as a phrase is found in Shakespeare’s Hamlet and was a commonly used phrase at the time.
Today it’s synonymous with “I’m sad” or “I’m depressed” but being overly dramatic
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