Update: thank you everyone! user @Today has provided a great link of a discussion that suggests the correct answer is where being an abbreviation of, whereas as a replacement of since, hypothesized in these comments.

As I love archaic definitions, I’m more convinced to now that this is the answer!

Especially since the question originates from one weirdo using “where” instead of since.
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/338694/is-it-ever-appropriate-to-use-where-instead-of-because-or-since

Like “Where we knew he was heading to Chicago tomorrow, we got on the first plane heading east to intercept.”

“Where we knew where the safe was, we began to cut through the wall in the corner behind her desk.”

Thanks

  • ____
    3·
    1 month ago

    I’ve never heard them be interchangeable. Grew up in the NE US, PA, NY, FL, and MA.

    I’ve spent most of the last twenty years in the Midwest, and can’t think of a single example.

    The outlier would be very, very careful instructions - likely written - organized in an if/then fashion which is a totally different use case:

    • Where the coffee machine is empty and the old filter abd grounds have been removed…
    • Where the coffee machine is empty but the used filter and grounds are still present… (add step to deal with that case)
    • Where the moron before you forgot to turn off the burner after emptying the carafe…

    “Since” wouldn’t fit, at least without changing the instructions after the ellipsis.

    And of course the classic example: “since you are up, get me a beer…” also doesn’t really work. (Apologies to some long irrelevant redneck comedian for ripping that off to make a point).

    I’m trying in my head to make it fit in both casual and formal conversation, and it just won’t as far as I can tell.

    Would love a counterfactual where both work!

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOP
      1·
      1 month ago

      That’s the interesting thing, its usage is very specific and not like the instruction examples you provided

      It’s used consistently throughout a book in exactly your beer scenario, or let me grab the other almost exact examples from another comment:

      “Where I was on the bed, I leaned around the corner to look into the hallway”.

      “‘Where most of the animals are scared, I can’t see the point of scaring them further.’”

      “Where they can pick locks, they might already know what’s in the safe!”

      So yeah, wouldn’t work in standard English, but they consistently use where instead of sense in these kinds of sentences.