IDIOM OF THE DAY - LIFE -

IDIOM OF THE DAY {LIFE}

1 'For dear life'

[With great force, as if despairing: used when something is important or urgent]
‘He ran for dear life away from the scene of the crime.’ / ‘When the horse began to gallop, she held on to the reins for dear life.’

2 'For the life of me (him, her, etc.)'

[Though trying very hard]
‘I can’t for the life of me remember her name.’

3 'Get a life!'

[An expression of criticism, disrespect, or scorn for someone because he or she is boring or foolish.]

4 'It’s a dog’s life'

[It’s a life full of unhappiness and worries]
‘It’s a dog’s life running a small business— no holidays, so many forms to fill in, little money in the end—I sometimes wonder why I bother.’

5 'Not (or never) on your life!'

[Most certainly not!]
‘Would you ever think of disobeying a commanding officer?’ ‘Not on your life!’ / ‘Surely you’d like to be our new representative for the Arctic region, John?’ ‘Never on your life!’
*Also (slang, old-fashioned, British) Not on your nelly!: ‘Do you really expect me to believe that excuse?’ ‘Not on your nelly!’
*Nelly is short for Nelly Duff, which is rhyming slang for puff, itself a slang word for life.

6 'That’s life!'

[That’s the way things happen!]
‘It’s a pity Colin and Rowena got divorced, but then that’s life!’
*A translation of the French c’est la vie!

7 'This is the life!'

[An expression of contentment with one’s present state]
‘A sandy beach, plenty of hot sun, lots of nice people! This is the life!’
*The phrase dates from the early 1900s and became more current in World War I.

8 'To save his (her, etc.) life'

[Despite every attempt or consideration]
‘He couldn’t play cricket to save his life.’

9 'Upon my life!' *Old-fashioned

[Used to express surprise or to strengthen a statement or command]
‘Upon my life, I didn’t realise how stubborn you could be!’ / ‘Upon my life, we were lucky to come out of that crash with only a few cuts!’

10 'What a life!'

[An expression of discontent]
‘What a life! I get up at half-past five every day, work solidly for eight hours, come home, have my meal and go to bed. It’s all so monotonous!’

taken from the GLOBAL ELT ENGLISH IDIOMS DICTIONARY