well to passadj.n.

Brit.

/ˌwɛl tə ˈpɑːs/,

/ˌwɛl tə ˈpas/, U.S.

/ˌwɛl tə ˈpæs/, Scottish English

/ˌwɛl tə ˈpas/

Forms: 1600s– well to pass, 1600s well to passe; also Scottish 1800s weel to pass.

Origin: Probably formed within English, by compounding; modelled on a Dutch lexical item. Etymons: well adj., to prep., pass n.³; well adj., to prep., pass v.

Etymology: Probably partly < well adj. (compare well adj. 8) + to prep. + pass n.³, and partly < well adj. + to prep. + pass v. (compare pass v. 42, and also earlier well to live adj. and later well-to-do adj.), after Dutch wel te pas well provided, well off, prosperous (Middle Dutch wel te passe ), the final element of which is pas pass n.³

Now Scottish or historical.

A. adj.

1. Prosperous, wealthy; = well-to-do adj. 1. Cf. well to live adj. 1.

a. In predicative use. Formerly also more fully †well to pass in the world (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > wealth > rich or wealthy [phrase] > well off

well at easec1330

of substance?a1439

at rack and (at) mangera1500

in good case1560

well to live1568

well and warmc1571

well to pass in the worlda1609

inlaid1699

in easy circumstancesa1704

well to do in the world1805

stouth and routh1816

quids in1919

a1609 T. Playfere Ten Serm. (1610) 225 But beeing so well to passe both for himselfe and for his children, sodainely he fell sicke.

1616 T. Scot Philomythie sig. ¶¶6 His Mothers Husband..being rich and well to passe.

1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ v. xv. 20 Their Masters are both of them very well to passe, and of good repute.

1682 G. Wheler Journey into Greece v. 376 His Grand-Father..was well to pass in the World.

1722 D. Defoe Moll Flanders 357 He began..to tell me in a frank, open way all his Circumstances, by which I found he was very well to pass in the World.

1784 R. Bage Barham Downs II. 100 I..am mistress of this inn, and thank God well to pass.

1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering II. 295 Our poor friend has died well to pass in the world.

1887 A. D. Willock Rosetty Ends 139 Ebenezer had fa'en into a fell fat thing, an' was weel to pass in the warld.

1901 ‘G. Douglas’ House with Green Shutters 266 Johnny Coe, idle and well-to-pass.

1965 G. Heyer Frederica iii. 38 ‘Oh, we are perfectly well to pass!’ she assured him. ‘Mama's fortune was settled on her daughters.’

2009 D. MacTavish Privateer 159 I cannot be expected to sit at table with my husband's mistress, no matter how well to pass.

b. In attributive use. rare.

ΚΠ

1898 E. W. Hamilton Mawkin of Flow xvii. 228 With a neatness that any well-to-pass housewife might have envied, were ranged sack upon sack of oatmeal, barley and peas.

†2. Well provided with something; well off for. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > supply > [adjective] > provided or supplied with something > well-provided or supplied > with, in, or for something

richc1175

repletec1384

strongc1450

ripe1579

wealthy1608

well off1775

rife1787

plus1808

well to pass1809

long on1929

1809 E. S. Barrett Setting Sun I. 65 Charles XII. of Sweden (although himself a king, and not very well to pass for sense even among them).

1843 J. A. St. John Sir Cosmo Digby I. iii. 44 Thomas Bennet of Gin Hill, is as well to pass for honesty as any man in these parishes.

B. n.

With the and plural agreement: those who are well to pass collectively; = well-to-do n. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > wealth > [noun] > rich or wealthy person > well-off person or people

subsidy man1591

subsidy citizen1607

well-to-passer1654

well to pass1695

havea1739

have-something1755

best off1824

well off1828

well-to-do1829

better-to-do1860

kulak1877

better off1895

have-got1897

1695 tr. Present State Europe Jan. 137 They who are call'd the Well-to-pass, pay but very badly, and are but few.

1902 J. M. Barrie Little White Bird xii. 124 They were children of the well-to-pass.

Derivatives

† well-to-passer n. Obsolete a person of high social status.Apparently an isolated use.

ΘΚΠ