four score and seven years ago

== English == === Alternative forms === fourscore and seven years ago, four score seven years ago === Etymology === Literally, “87 years ago” (score sense: “group of 20”) the beginning of the Gettysburg Address made on November 19, 1863, by United States President Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). The widespread familiarity of Lincoln’s address, the unusual and poetic wording, and its status as the first words of the speech have caused the phrase to enter the public consciousness. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfɔː skɔː‿ɹən ˌsɛvən jɪəz əˌɡəʊ/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈfɔɹ skɔɹ ən ˌsɛvən jɪɹz əˌɡoʊ/ Hyphenation: four score and se‧ven years ago === Adverb === four score and seven years ago (not comparable) (idiomatic, often humorous) Used (sometimes sarcastically) to indicate that a past event being mentioned is particularly important: a long time ago; many years ago. ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === Gettysburg Address on Wikipedia.Wikipedia