i grevens tid

Swedish

Etymology

By surface analysis, i (“in”) +‎ grevens (“the count's”) +‎ tid (“time”), believed to refer to the reign of Per Brahe the Younger in Finland during the mid-17th century, considered a prosperous time. Compare Finnish kreivin aikaan.

Adverb

i grevens tid (not comparable)

(idiomatic) not a minute too soon, in the nick of time
Ni kommer i grevens tid! Befria oss innan vi krossas av stenblocket.
You're not a minute too soon! Untie us before we're crushed by the stone block.

References

greve in Svensk ordbok (SO)
greve in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
greve in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

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