before time

before (one's) time

Predating one's tenure or when one was born. A: "Have you ever seen this show?" B: "No, sorry, it's before my time." I don't know how that project was organized—it was before my time. A: "I never knew that this law was the result of such a tragic incident." B: "Well, it was before your time, so that's not too surprising."

See also: before, time

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

*before someone's time

happening before someone was born or old enough to know what was going on. (*Typically: be ~; happen ~; occur ~.) Of course I don't remember it. It was before my time. All that happened before your time.

See also: before, time

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.