"time was" meaning in English

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non-constituent"
      },
      "expansion": "time was",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English non-constituents",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "a. 1659, Jonathan Mitchell, editor, The Parable of the Ten Virgins Opened and Applied [sermons of Thomas Shepard], 1797 edition, volume 2, page 259 http://books.google.com/books?id=uvI2AAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA259&dq=glorious",
          "text": "Time was, the feet of the messengers of peace were glorious, but now their message is mean; […] time was, thou wert exceeding tender of the least sin, and not a day past, but thy cheeks were wet in secret before the Lord; now thou art grown blind […] ."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1879, John Berwick Harwood, Young Lord Penrith, chapter 34; as serialized in, 1879 June 21, Chambers's Journal, fourth series, number 808; which was reprinted in, Chambers's Journal 1879, page 387 http://books.google.com/books?id=mtwXAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA387&dq=%22but+time+was+that%22",
          "text": "I call him poor; but time was, that in our intercourse I was the obliged party."
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Linda B. Nilson, Teaching at Its Best, 3rd edition, Jossey-Bass, page xvii",
          "text": "Liberal arts and community colleges as well as other teaching-centered institutions have always promoted high standards of teaching excellence. But time was that no one really cared much what instructors in more research-oriented universities did in the classroom, as long as it was legal.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "It was once true (that)...; there was a time when..."
      ],
      "id": "en-time_was-en-phrase-owLBRllG",
      "links": [
        [
          "true",
          "true"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "way back when"
        },
        {
          "word": "once upon a time"
        },
        {
          "word": "long ago"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "time was"
}

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non-constituent"
      },
      "expansion": "time was",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "way back when"
    },
    {
      "word": "once upon a time"
    },
    {
      "word": "long ago"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English non-constituents",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "a. 1659, Jonathan Mitchell, editor, The Parable of the Ten Virgins Opened and Applied [sermons of Thomas Shepard], 1797 edition, volume 2, page 259 http://books.google.com/books?id=uvI2AAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA259&dq=glorious",
          "text": "Time was, the feet of the messengers of peace were glorious, but now their message is mean; […] time was, thou wert exceeding tender of the least sin, and not a day past, but thy cheeks were wet in secret before the Lord; now thou art grown blind […] ."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1879, John Berwick Harwood, Young Lord Penrith, chapter 34; as serialized in, 1879 June 21, Chambers's Journal, fourth series, number 808; which was reprinted in, Chambers's Journal 1879, page 387 http://books.google.com/books?id=mtwXAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA387&dq=%22but+time+was+that%22",
          "text": "I call him poor; but time was, that in our intercourse I was the obliged party."
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Linda B. Nilson, Teaching at Its Best, 3rd edition, Jossey-Bass, page xvii",
          "text": "Liberal arts and community colleges as well as other teaching-centered institutions have always promoted high standards of teaching excellence. But time was that no one really cared much what instructors in more research-oriented universities did in the classroom, as long as it was legal.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "It was once true (that)...; there was a time when..."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "true",
          "true"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "time was"
}