would-be

Of those, roughly a third are sanctioned barrels—with some would-be buyers wary of taking delivery, at least temporarily—and another 80 million are in long-haul transit from the Americas to Asia, he said.

This isn’t a denial of infertility’s heartbreak or a dismissal of would-be parents’ longing to nurture.

But if he were to step down, any would-be successor would first need to win a selection contest before a by-election was held.

Two world wars, between 1914 and 1945, meant that many would-be divers went off to fight and sponge harvesting came to a halt.

It is not just would-be bidders who are critical of the current process.