as it were
used when describing someone or something in a way that is not quite exact

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

as it were
adv. phr. As it might be said to be; as if it really were; seemingly.
■ Used with a statement that might seem silly or unreasonable, to show that it is just a way of saying it.
In many ways children live, as it were, in a different world from adults.
The sunlight on the icy branches made, as it were, delicate lacy cobwebs from tree to tree.
Compare: SO TO SPEAK.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲