a while back
At some point in the past. I bought this dress a while back but have never had a chance to wear it. A: "Have you ever read this book?" B: "Yeah, but a while back. I couldn't tell you any of the characters' names." I went to that restaurant a while back—it was pretty good.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
a while back
Also, a while ago. Some time in the past, as in I ran into Barbara a while back but didn't get her new address, or John wrote me a while ago about his new baby. This term uses a while in the sense of "a short or moderate time," a usage dating from about 1300.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.