Regardless of circumstances or other considerations; used to introduce a statement that applies universally to a situation.
This phrase evolved from legal terminology where 'case' referred to specific legal situations or arguments. By the 17th century, it had broadened to mean any set of circumstances, and 'in any case' became a way to indicate that something was true regardless of which specific circumstances applied.
What's clever about this phrase is how it functions as a linguistic safety net - it acknowledges that there might be multiple scenarios or viewpoints, but then declares that the following statement holds true regardless. It's a sophisticated way of being comprehensive without having to enumerate every possibility.
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