on a sudden

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English

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Prepositional phrase

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on a sudden

  1. (obsolete) all of a sudden; suddenly
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book CCXLVII”, in Paradise Lost. [], London: [] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker []; [a]nd by Robert Boulter []; [a]nd Matthias Walker, [], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: [], London: Basil Montagu Pickering [], 1873, →OCLC, line 900:
      How are thou loſt, how on a ſudden loſt,
    • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
      On a sudden he was aware of a man linking along at his side. He cried a fine night, and the man replied.