get a life

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

get a life (third-person singular simple present gets a life, present participle getting a life, simple past got a life, past participle (UK) got a life or (US) gotten a life)

1. (idiomatic, intransitive, derogatory) To begin having a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence.
   • 1995 September 14, Joseph Berger, “Disgraced, Ex-Lawman In Rockland Avoids Jail”, in New York Times, retrieved 23 August 2016:

     "He's really broken. Hopefully he'll be able to find work somewhere and get a life."

   • 2006 December 25, Lev Grossman, “Power To The People: Harriet Klausner, The Constant Critic”, in Time, retrieved 23 August 2016:

     "Harriet, please get a life," someone begged her on a message board, "and leave us poor Amazon customers alone."

Usage notes

• Most often used in the imperative, as a derogatory dismissal addressed to someone considered stuffy, tedious, or excessively nosy.

Translations

to have a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 做些讓生活更有意義的事／做些让生活更有意义的事 (zuò xiē ràng shēnghuó gèng yǒu yìyì de shì)

• Finnish: hankkia elämä
• French: va t’acheter une vie!
• Turkish: bir hayatın olsun!

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