life of Riley
- idiom
- Informal
:
vida de lujo
- He retired early and now enjoys the life of Riley with no worries at all.
Examples
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After winning the lottery, she was living the life of Riley and traveling the world.
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Some people dream of a life of Riley, but few actually achieve it.
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Living a life of Riley is my dream!
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After winning the lottery, she is now living the life of Riley.
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After winning the lottery, she was living the life of Riley and traveling the world without a care.
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He enjoys the life of Riley, spending his days relaxing on the beach with friends.
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Many aspire to live the life of Riley, filled with luxury and leisure.
Synonyms
90
3.2
A life with comfort, happiness, and enough money to enjoy it
A comfortable life with good luck and little effort
An easy and comfortable life without many problems
Antonyms
How Comfortable
Surface Forms
Morphology
life + of + Riley
The sense 'a very easy, comfortable life' cannot be derived from the constituents: 'life' is general, 'of' is a function word, and 'Riley' is a personal name that gives no semantic cue. This is a culture-specific idiom whose meaning is historically conventionalized, so a B1 learner who knows the words would not predict the idiomatic meaning.
Etymology
Life of Riley became a popular name in songs and shows for a lucky man who did not work and enjoyed life. Because of that picture, people began to call any easy, worry-free situation a Life of Riley, meaning 'a situation with few worries or responsibilities'.