I have never heard this expression “Once upon a time” except fairy tales. Is it strange if I use it in everyday conversation ? When it is used, how old do you think the story is I am talking about ?
Tags: Everyday Conversation, Expression, Fairy Tales, Long, Long Time, Once, refer, Strange, Time, upon
“Once upon a time” is a stock phrase that has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the Oxford English Dictionary) in storytelling in the English language
Some unspecified past time, esp. a long time ago
We cannot specify the actual time (Time Period is Vague)
It is really only used in fairy stories and the like. So you might use it for the actual past as a reference to fairy stories.
It mean “long long ago”
It just means a while ago. People use it in everyday language but usually only jokingly: “Once upon a time I cared.” It usually means a long time ago. But it has no definite reference of time.