A TV program says,
they started this accounting gimmick, if you will, and they…
What does "if you will" mean? Is it a short form of "if you will [a certain verb]"?
auxiliary-verbsidiomsmeaning
A TV program says,
they started this accounting gimmick, if you will, and they…
What does "if you will" mean? Is it a short form of "if you will [a certain verb]"?
Best Answer
No, it is not a short form of anything. Here, will is not an auxiliary verb, but a full verb. Nothing is omitted in the sentence. Will, here, is used in the meaning "want" or "wish", which is considered archaic in most other contexts, outside of set phrases. It is related to the German wollen, Dutch willen, etc., all with the same meaning "to want, desire".
Here is a related Language Log post that makes a rather interesting point of "if you will" being semantically strikingly similar to the ubiquitous Valley-Girl like.
Emphasis mine.
Edit: here's yet another Language Log post that actually discusses a comic strip that unfairly criticises "if you will" precisely because the cartoonist mistakes will for an auxilliary verb.
Language Log goes on to comment,
It then elaborates on that, linking to the aforementioned like post and quoting the definition from UsingEnglish as well as the one from OED: