used to show that you are giving the general meaning of what sb has said rather than the exact words :
He told me to leave—or words to that effect.
used to show that you are giving the general meaning of what sb has said rather than the exact words :
He told me to leave—or words to that effect.
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне. 2005