'woe-is-me'ing

"Woe is me" is in fact the correct usage, "woe" being the subject of the sentence and "me" being the object. Grammar aside, it is also a direct quote from the Bible and Shakespeare's Hamlet. It is an exclamation of sorrow and misfortune. The verb "woe-is-me"ing is a modern adaptation of this meaning to express said sorrow and misfortune to others. Glorified moaning, perhaps.

Ophelia: "O, woe is me, T'have seen what I have seen, see what I see!" - William Shakespeare, Hamlet. You might almost say Ophelia was 'woe-is-me'ing... if you wanted to make Shakespeare turn in his grave.

508👍 173👎