not very well

not very well
   very ill
   Hospital and valetudinarian jargon, which ignores the presumption that very well implies perfect health. Also as not at all well, which may indicate a fatal condition.

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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  • very well — spoken 1) used for saying that you agree with or accept what someone says, even when you might not really agree with them Very well, you can put my name on the list, if you really have to. 2) used for agreeing to something Very well, I ll come… …   English dictionary

  • all very well — phrasal : proper under the circumstances it is all very well … to advise the French in the columns of the New York Times Frank Gorrell * * * all very well An ironic phrase used to introduce an objection to what has gone before • • • Main Entry:… …   Useful english dictionary

  • cannot very well — cannot/can’t/very well phrase used for saying that it would not be wise or sensible to do something We can’t very well tell them now. Thesaurus: not sensible or reasonablesynonym Main entry: well …   Useful english dictionary

  • all very well — 1. good but not good enough. It s all very well to fully discuss a problem, but finally you have to stop talking and do something about it. 2. acceptable. It s all very well to give money to help people, but there needs to be some way of helping… …   New idioms dictionary

  • may (very) well — may (very) well/easily/ phrase used for saying that something is fairly likely to be true or is fairly likely to happen What you say may very well be true. A small technical error may easily result in a serious accident. it may well be that: It… …   Useful english dictionary

  • That's All Very Well But... — Infobox Album Name = That s All Very Well But... Type = Compilation Artist = McCarthy Released = 1996 Recorded = 1986 1988 Genre = Indie pop Length = 58:48 Label = Cherry Red Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|4|5… …   Wikipedia

  • be all very well — phrase used for saying that you do not really approve of something or that it is not enough Browsing the Web is all very well, but it’s a rather solitary experience. It is all very well to apologize for losing £2 million, but that doesn’t make… …   Useful english dictionary

  • can't very well — cannot/can’t/very well phrase used for saying that it would not be wise or sensible to do something We can’t very well tell them now. Thesaurus: not sensible or reasonablesynonym Main entry: well …   Useful english dictionary

  • be all very well — used for saying that you do not really approve of something or that it is not enough Browsing the Web is all very well, but it s a rather solitary experience. It is all very well to apologize for losing £2 million, but that doesn t make… …   English dictionary

  • well-informed — well in formed adj someone who is well informed knows a lot about one particular subject or about many subjects well informed about ▪ Most people are not very well informed about the disease. ▪ We had a serious and well informed debate …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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