'Sooner than' meaning in this construction?
I have never seen a construction beginning with 'Sooner than' as the following one:
Sooner than fix the broken screen, l would buy a new mobile phone.
I looked it up in a number of dictionaries but i didn't find its meaning. I guess that it means ' instead of', doesn't it?
'Sooner' can be used when discussing preference. This usage is chiefly British.
Collins Dictionary:
Sooner
2. rather; in preference
I'd sooner die than give up
Sooner
The preference can be reversed from the above: sooner than give up, I'd choose to die.