coulda, woulda, shoulda

coulda, woulda, shoulda

Used to dismiss one's or someone else's regrets or worries about a past experience. (Formed from informal shortenings of "could have, would have, should have.") I wish I had given myself an extra day off before going back to work after my vacation, but coulda, woulda, shoulda. A: "Should I have said more during that presentation?" B: "Eh, coulda, woulda, shoulda. It's over now, so there's nothing more you can do."
See also: shoulda
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • coulda, shoulda, woulda
  • could have, should have, would have
  • could have, would have, should have
  • could of, should of, would of
  • could of, would of, should of
  • should of, could of, would of
  • should of, would of, could of
  • would of, could of, should of
  • would of, should of, could of
  • empathize with (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
Again, that coulda, woulda, shoulda been a spot-kick.
Boro really need a change of fortune
Homemaking artiste Martha Stewart said that one chapter of her upcoming autobiography is titled "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda.
Martha Stewart's 'Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda'
Royals in 2014 (and coulda, woulda, shoulda kept the even-year streak alive in 2016, but that's a woe-is-me story for another day).
Banner Banter: It indeed does matter where the flag flies on the Golden Coast
No more hard-luck tales, no more coulda, woulda, shoulda. The exit of the national women's team from the Euros in Holland two years ago was so damn Scottish.
Time is right to put hard-luck tales in the past
Near misses, close shaves, coulda, woulda, shoulda.
Former Red targets have failed to make an impression
I know it was a case of coulda, woulda, shoulda on Saturday and I'll give them that, it's 1-0 to them.
Umaga heaps pressure on leaders Macclesfield
All the coulda, woulda, shoulda in the world won't give you a second chance to impress someone today Cancer so maybe it would be better to get it right first time?
David Wells
WILLS COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA WORE: PAGES 36&37
WILLS HAD HEIR CONDITIONING; Wedding suit was heat-resistant to stop him fainting
She brings songs from those shows and others to the Van Wezel with Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda!, including tunes she didn't sing on the Great White Way but would have loved to.
Top five: our editors pick the month's hottest tickets
The bottom line is, if you hunt with stick and string long enough, you'll accumulate enough "coulda, woulda, shoulda" stories to fill a book.
Regrets? I've had a few
IT WAS a real case of coulda, woulda, shoulda for The Politicians on Celebrity You're a Star last week.
A broken pledge that broke hearts
After the match they play the "coulda, woulda, shoulda," game for a while, blame bad results on the course of fire, the sun/cloud/wind, a bad range officer call or the Wicked Witch of the West, then forget about it.
Be honest
How many times do you claim coulda, woulda, shoulda? It comes down to such small margins.
FOR YOUR TRIES ONLY; Oh oh heaven for English as James Bond spies a lack of firepower in Scots' front line
Your ruling planet the Moon wants to see rewards for your hard work so less coulda, woulda, shoulda and more action.
David Wells
With huge euphoric vocals and bags of attitude, she was like a prime-time Aretha on a vat of Red Bull, powering her way through her own hits - Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, Gold, Come As You Are, and Keep This Fire Burning.
Review: Two sides of one coin; GABRIELLE and BEVERLEY KNIGHT Summer Pops