Meaning of the word get a life

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Get a life is an idiom and catch phrase that has gained international usage. It is intended as a taunt, to indicate that the person being so addressed is attempting to devote themselves to other people’s responsibilities. Sometimes the phrase is used to describe people who are viewed as officious or meddling in the affairs of others. It is another way of saying «get your own life», or «mind your own business».[1]

The phrase has also appeared as a generally more emphatic variant of the taunt «get a job»[2][page needed] and implies the addressee needs to go out and make their way in the world, without being supported by outside sources such as parents or benefactors.

It may also be directed at someone who is perceived as boring or single-minded; suggesting they acquire some other, more practical interests or hobbies and get dates, find a job, or move into their own home.

It is also applied to workaholics and others who are perceived as dedicated to their work, but not taking the time to relax or enjoy life.

Documented early use[edit]

Look up get a life in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

  • 1983: The first Oxford English Dictionary citation is from a January 1983 Washington Post article: «Gross me out, I mean, Valley Girl was, like, ohmigod, it was last year, fer sure! I mean, get a life! Say what?«[3][specify]
  • 1986: Appears in Baby Anger page 48 as «Get a life, people of New Jersey!»[4]
  • 1986: The phrase was used by actor William Shatner in his appearance in a December episode of Saturday Night Live, in which he shows up at a Star Trek convention and implores a group of Trekkies who are obsessed with the details of Shatner’s life to move out of their parents’ basements and «get a life.»

References[edit]

  1. ^ «Get a life meaning». Theidioms.com. The Idioms. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  2. ^ Clemmer, Jim (1999). Growing the Distance: Timeless Principles for Personal, Career, and Family Success. ISBN 0-9684675-0-4.
  3. ^ Oxford English Dictionary
  4. ^ O’Casey, Sean; Hedges, Peter (1986). Baby Anger. p. 48. Get a life, people of New Jersey!
Источник
get a life

Обычно эта модная с 1990-х гг. фраза в повелительном наклонении обращена к юным лоботрясам: Get a life! — Возьмись за ум! / Не проспи жизнь! Но сейчас она применяется к любому человеку, который, по мнению говорящего, тратит свою жизнь по пустякам или занимается не своим делом.

English-Russian dictionary of expressions.
2014.

Смотреть что такое «get a life» в других словарях:

  • Get a life — is an originally American idiom and catch phrase usually intended as a taunt, to indicate that the person being so addressed is devoting an inordinate amount of time to trivial or hopeless matters. The phrase has also appeared as a generally more …   Wikipedia

  • get a life — phrasal : to stop wasting time on trivial or hopeless matters often used in the imperative * * * get a life see under ↑life • • • Main Entry: ↑get get a life (informal; usu in imperative) To start to live life to the full and do interesting… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Get A Life — Nolife  Cet article concerne le terme franglais. Pour la chaîne du même nom, voir Nolife (télévision). Un nolife (de l anglais « no life », littéralement « pas de vie » ou « sans vie ») est une personne qui… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Get a life — Nolife  Cet article concerne le terme franglais. Pour la chaîne du même nom, voir Nolife (télévision). Un nolife (de l anglais « no life », littéralement « pas de vie » ou « sans vie ») est une personne qui… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • get a life — 1. to have fun. With the time you save, you could learn Italian, paint your basement, even get a life. 2. to do something different. He needs to leave home and get a job – in short, he needs to get a life. Usage notes: often used as an… …   New idioms dictionary

  • Get a life! — exclam. Change your life radically! (See also Get real!) □ You are such a twit! Get a life! □ Get a life, you clown! …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • Get a life! — informal something that you say which means someone is boring and they should find more exciting things to do. You re surely not going to stay in and clean the house on a Saturday night oh, come on, get a life! (often an order) I hear him talking …   New idioms dictionary

  • get a life — change your lifestyle, get it together, get with it    He never goes out just stays at home and watches TV. I wish he would get a life! …   English idioms

  • get a life — spoken used for telling someone that they are boring Stop acting like an idiot and get a life! …   English dictionary

  • Get a life (disambiguation) — Get a life is an American English idiom and catchphrase usually intended as a taunt.Get a Life may also refer to:* Get a Life (TV series), an American sitcom starring Chris Elliott * Get a Life (UK TV series), a UK makeover programme * Get a Life …   Wikipedia

  • Get a Life (novel) — Get a Life (2005) is an ecological novel by South African writer Nadine Gordimer.The novel tells the story of environmental activist Paul Bannerman and his family. Paul is diagnosed with thyroid cancer and, after surgery and subsequent radiation… …   Wikipedia

Источник

начни жить полной жизнью, займись чем-нибудь более интересным

This familiar old noun «life», now used widely in the phrase «get a life!», usually in a derogatory tone of voice like that — «Get a life, why don’t you!» Well, it’s said to somebody who the speaker feels is leading an unfulfilling existence, your life is empty, dull, there’s more to life than what you’re doing, start living!

Теперь это давно знакомое существительное «life (жизнь)» широко используется в выражении «get a life! (живи полнее, пора заняться более интересными вещами!)», обычно с такой осуждающей интонацией: «Get a life, why don’t you! — Почему бы тебе не заняться чем-нибудь более интересным!». И говорят эти слова тому, чью жизнь считают неудовлетворительной, пустой, скучной. Ему как бы говорят: ты живёшь неполной жизнью, жизнь гораздо разнообразнее; начни, наконец, жить!

It can be serious, but it’s usually jocular. It can be used for instance to a workaholic, or for anybody obsessed with something like a television programme, always watching a particular soap, shall we say. That person might be told to «get a life».

Слова эти могут быть и серьёзными, но обычно тон их шутливый. Их могут сказать «работоголику» или самозабвенному зрителю какой-то телепрограммы, например, постоянно смотрящему «мыло (сериалы)». Ему могут сказать «get a life» в смысле «хватит дурака валять, разуй глаза и взгляни на жизнь!»

The phrase goes back a couple of decades. It was US slang in California, years and years ago, and then it became the name of a US television show. And then it became all sorts of usages around radio, television, novels, short stories — don’t take things too seriously! Chill out! Get a life!

Этому выражению уже около двадцати лет. Это сленговое выражение появилось много лет назад в Калифорнии, США, и позже стало названием телешоу. А затем его стали повсюду использовать на радио, телевидении, в романах, рассказах — не принимай вещи слишком серьёзно! Расслабься, не кипятись! Начни жить!

It happens to the best of us… people who pity my obsession with linguistics often tell me to «get a life»!

Даже с лучшими из нас такое случается… люди, которым меня жаль за одержимость лингвистикой, часто говорят мне: «Ты живёшь бесцветно. Начни жить!» Get a life!

Professor David Crystal

ПРИМЕЧАНИЕ

Сходный смысл с фразой «Get a life!» имеют также идиоматические выражения «wake up and smell the coffee» и «wake-up call», смыслом которых является совет обратить внимание на какую-либо важную проблему. Такой совет обычно даётся человеку, не понимающему, что происходит на самом деле, или не уделяющему достаточного внимания событиям вокруг себя; человеку, который теряет нить событий, которые происходят вокруг, забывает о времени или ещё о чём-то, то есть живёт неполной жизнью.

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Источник

get a life

1. To start being productive in one’s own life; to act independently and responsibly. You can’t just live in Mom and Dad’s basement playing video games forever—you need to go out and get a life. After waking up with another raging hangover, I knew I needed to grow up and start getting a life.

2. To do things one finds enjoyable and fulfilling. College isn’t just about studying and getting good grades. You need to get a life—go to parties, meet new people, join a sports club, anything!

3. A rude imperative telling one to mind their own business or stop focusing on unimportant or immature things. Oh, get a life, Ricky. You’re the only one who always has to interpret an innocent expression in some disgusting way. These politicians need to get a life and stop interfering in our private home lives.

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

Get a life!

Inf. Change your life radically! Find something interesting to do or say! You are such a twit! Get a life! Get a life, you clown!

See also: get

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

get a life

Acquire some interests or relationships of one’s own. For example, Stop sitting around and complaining-get a life. [Slang; late 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

get a life

INFORMAL

If you tell someone to get a life, you mean that they seem to care too much about unimportant things or that their life is boring. Go home Moran, read a book or something, get a life. This show is the stupidest show on TV. If you are watching it, get a life. Note: This expression is used humorously.

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

get a life

start living a fuller or more interesting existence. informal

1997 J-17 All anybody seems to be talking about today is school. These people need to get a life.

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

get a ˈlife

(spoken) used to tell somebody to stop being boring and to do something more interesting: Simon, all you do is sit at home all day playing video games! Get a life!

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

Get a life!

exclam. Change your life radically! (see also Get real!.) You are such a twit! Get a life!

See also: get

McGraw-Hill’s Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

get a life

Find some interests, social life, or concerns of one’s own. This slangy term is quite new, dating only from about 1980, but has quickly caught on. It is often put as a disdainful imperative, as in “Don’t just sit around complaining—get a life!”

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer

See also:

  • Get a life!
  • live (one’s) own life
  • live your own life
  • go flatting
  • live on (one’s) own
  • live on own
  • or something
  • or something (like that)
  • transit
  • in transit
Источник

G

get a life

Meaning | Synonyms

  • to stop wasting a lot of time in useless or
    boring or trivial works
  • to do something better or act responsibly
  • a way to ask someone to mind their own business
    or life
  • to advise someone to start living a better life
  • used to ask a boring person to do something
    exciting

Generally used as a taunt to stop wasting time or stop spending excessive time on something.

Example Sentences

  1. You are working over 100 hours a week, dude, get a life!
  2. Why do you always have to interrupt with whatever I do? Just get a life!
  3. What do you mean, not going to the party this week too? You really need to get a life.
  4. Get a life dude! How long are you planning to stay in your room playing games?
  5. Being hardworking is a great thing. But this is as if you are turning into a machine! Seriously, go get a life!
  6. Gian, you need to get a life and stop bullying kids around you.

Origin

The true origin of the phrase ‘Get a life’ is unknown. However, according to the records, the phrase came to use only in the late 20th century. The first noted usage of the phrase ‘get a life’ was in an article in 1983 Washington post, which went as quoted below:

“Gross me out, I mean, Valley Girl was, like, ohmigod, it was last year, fer sure! I mean, get a life! Say what?”

Assorted, Life, Speech

Источник

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