Where does “at any rate” come from?
People say at any rate to revert to a previous topic. But what kind of rate is it referring to? Like
- at any rate of exchange?
- at any speed?
Solution 1:
Apparently, it originally meant at any cost, and then became more generic from there. From etymolonline.com:
Phrase at any rate originally (1610s) meant "at any cost;" weakened sense of "at least" is attested by 1760.