sporting life
- noun
- Archaic
:
vida de apuestas
- He spent most of his youth immersed in the sporting life of racetracks and betting parlors.
Examples
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Many novels from the 1920s depict characters who are captivated by the thrills of the sporting life.
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After leaving his job, he became drawn to the sporting life and its many temptations.
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He enjoys the sporting life every weekend.
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Many people dream of a sporting life filled with excitement.
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After leaving his job, he became drawn to the sporting life and its many temptations.
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He spent most of his youth immersed in the sporting life of racetracks and betting parlors.
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Many novels from the 1920s depict characters who are captivated by the thrills of the sporting life.
Synonyms
57
3.7
Playing games to win money, often in casinos
A person who often places bets or plays games to try to win money
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally built from 'sporting' + 'life' so a learner who knows the specific sense of 'sporting' (given to gambling/high pleasure) can infer 'a lifestyle of gambling/pleasure'. However, 'sporting' commonly also means 'relating to sport', creating ambiguity for many B1 learners and making the gambling sense not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Sporting life comes from an older use of sporting to mean 'gambling and pleasure' and life to mean how someone lives. People pictured someone who spent their time at racetracks, clubs and betting places for excitement, so the phrase now means a life of gambling and excitement.