for the life of one
- idiom
- Informal
:
no puedo por nada
- I can't remember his birthday for the life of one, no matter how hard I try.
Examples
-
He couldn't find his keys for the life of one!
-
I can't remember her name for the life of one.
-
I can't remember his birthday for the life of me, no matter how hard I try.
-
She couldn't solve the puzzle for the life of her, even after hours of thinking.
-
They couldn't find the missing document for the life of them before the meeting.
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She couldn't solve the puzzle for the life of one, even after hours of thinking.
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They couldn't find the missing document for the life of one before the meeting.
Synonyms
1
9.9
No matter how hard you try, you cannot remember or understand it
How Possible
- Informal
4
6.5
- Informal
1
9.9
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase uses 'life' metaphorically to signal the entirety or utmost effort (as in 'for the life of me'), so a learner who knows the words may infer it is an emphatic negation. However, the precise pragmatic meaning—'despite trying very hard, I cannot'—is idiomatic and not fully predictable from the literal parts, so it is only partially transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
For the life of one paints a simple picture: imagine trying something for your whole life and still failing. That's why it is used to stress that you cannot do something 'no matter how hard I try'.