literary

1. a long time ago.

Once upon a time there lived a young girl called Cinderella.

2. if you say that something happened once upon a time, you mean that it happened in the past and you wish that it still happened now.

Once upon a time, everyone knew each other in this town and nobody bothered locking their doors.

• put through hell
• put through hoops
• put through paces
• put through something
• put through their paces
• put through the mill
• put through the wringer
• put to bed
• put to death
• put too fine a point on it
• put to shame
• put to sleep
• put to the test
• put toward
• put toward something
• put two and two together
• put two and two together and get five
• put two and two together and make five
• put two cents in
• put two cents worth in
• put two fingers up at
• put two fingers up at someone
• put two fingers up at something
• putty in hands
• putty in your hands