Is it idiomatic to use "like in old times" to mean as we used to?
Come round when you have time. It would be great to hang around like in old times.
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It's potentially ambiguous because it could mean farther back in time. But it might be OK in context and seems to be used sometimes. I'm unsure what would constitute a useful answer.Stuart F– Stuart F2025-09-29 14:13:38 +00:00Commented Sep 29 at 14:13
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1Do people normally say like in old times or just like old times?Homer– Homer2025-09-29 17:36:39 +00:00Commented Sep 29 at 17:36
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In common expression (AmE) it's: "Just like old times"... There is no "in".Oldbag– Oldbag2025-09-29 23:10:39 +00:00Commented Sep 29 at 23:10
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In the 19th century, it would have been ungrammatical. You would have needed to say "as in old times." And as is more common than like, still today, just possibly because we've become used to the fixed phrase as in old times. See Ngrams.Peter Shor– Peter Shor2025-09-30 15:22:36 +00:00Commented Sep 30 at 15:22
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I don't like old + times when English can do much better than that. As for as, that's in my answer. "like old times" is colloquial AmE.Lambie– Lambie2025-09-30 16:15:39 +00:00Commented Sep 30 at 16:15
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2 Answers
There are two main points to consider with this expression.
- [1] Like as a conjunction
In informal contexts, we can use 'like' as a conjunction instead of 'as'. Traditional grammar books consider this use of 'like' incorrect ....
[It would be great to hang around like we used to do in old times.]
Some would prefer 'as' or 'in the way [that]' in place of 'like', though they sound pretty formal. Using 'just like' probably makes the dissenters' position even shakier.
[2] Conjunction Reduction [here, of subject + retrievable verb]
The energy source on Voyager 2 is not a nuclear reactor, in which atoms are actively broken apart, but rather a kind of nuclear battery that uses natural radioactive decay to produce power.
What is the main verb of the clause followed by the coordinating conjunction but?
- Not only is the verb missing from the second clause, so is the subject.
They are deleted by the rule of Conjunction Reduction, which has been applied to two conjoined clauses, deleting the (repeated) subject and auxiliary be. [John Lawler, plus question he answered, with minor adjustments]
{... but rather [it] [is] a kind of ... }
Here,
- It would be great to hang around like [we] [used to {do}] in old times
is reduced (grammatically) to
- It would be great to hang around like in old times.
..................
The expression 'in old times' sounds very unnatural. Even 'in the old days' is dated nowadays; 'like we used to' would definitely be more idiomatic.
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Why place the OP's sentence in square brackets instead of straight/curly quotes? Is that common in linguistics?Mari-Lou A– Mari-Lou A2025-10-15 16:00:49 +00:00Commented Oct 15 at 16:00
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I think "… like in old times���" has a more historical feel to it, similar to "ancient times" whereas "… like old times …” or “… just like the [good] old days…” has more of a reminiscent feel. Would you agree?Mari-Lou A– Mari-Lou A2025-10-15 16:10:10 +00:00Commented Oct 15 at 16:10
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(a) It's an amended version of OP's sentence, not the original. Square brackets show amended material. // (b) 'ancient' certainly gives the historic flavour. 'Like in old times' doesn't work for 'as we used to' (as I say). 'Like old times' was possibly given a new lease of life through the song 'Seems like old times'. But a marked expression. 'Just like the [good] old days' is also marked, quirky nowadays. Possibly appropriate in certain contexts. But we're well into styles here.Edwin Ashworth– Edwin Ashworth2025-10-15 18:18:07 +00:00Commented Oct 15 at 18:18
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1Oops, I didn't see the "we used to do". Lots of hits for the phrase, with and without "in", for: "… just like (in) the old days …” I would add a suggestion or two but I suppose it depends if the OP already knew there were more idiomatic ways of expressing the same idea and was only curious about this particular construction.Mari-Lou A– Mari-Lou A2025-10-15 18:48:26 +00:00Commented Oct 15 at 18:48
See the options below:
In olden times is a bygone era.
OR Like in times gone by OR bygone days
Merriam Webster
olden adjective
: of or relating to a bygone era
Merriam Webster
days gone by
idiom
: days/times in the past : bygone days
- They have many happy memories of days gone by.
like or as in olden times, times gone by, days gone by, bygone days
Then there's the "super formal" one: in days of yore
Cambridge Dictionary
The conjunctions as and like have the same meaning when used in comparisons.
Like is a little more informal.
- Nobody understands him as I do.
- Nobody understands him like I do.
Like old times = colloquial American English. You hear it in movies.
"It would be great to hang around like old times".
No in is needed.
