Once upon a time is the phrase every fairy tale begins with. Five words, and everybody knows a story is coming.
It works because it places the story outside real time entirely, in a past with no date, and it signals that ordinary rules will not apply. Almost every language has an equivalent formula. The traditional ending is a matching phrase about living happily ever after. Using it outside a story is always deliberate, and beginning a real account with it signals nostalgia or gentle mockery.
1phraseonce upon a timeThe traditional opening of a fairy tale, meaning at some time in the past.
“He started with once upon a time and the children went quiet.”
Practised in A Man Called Ove, Myths & Legends, Fairy Tales & Folklore
First appears in chapter 13 of A Man Called Ove.
Practise this word