world is one's lobster
- idiom
- Informal
- Now that he's graduated, the world is his lobster and anything is possible.
Examples
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With their business off the ground, the world is their lobster from here on out.
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For Sarah, the world is her lobster because she has so many options!
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She finished her last exam and declared, "The world is my lobster!"
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He believes the world is his lobster after graduating.
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Now that he's graduated, the world is his lobster, and he can choose any career path he likes.
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After winning the lottery, she exclaimed, "The world is my lobster!" as she considered all her new possibilities.
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With their new startup gaining traction, the world is their lobster, offering endless opportunities for growth.
Synonyms
Many different options and chances to try new things
To have everything you want and every advantage
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal meanings of 'world', 'be', 'one's', and 'lobster' provide no transparent cue that the phrase means 'many opportunities'; this is a playful variation on the idiom 'the world is your oyster' and relies on cultural/idiomatic knowledge. A B1 learner who knows the individual words but has not seen the idiom would not be able to derive this figurative meaning.
Etymology
World is one's lobster is a playful change of the older saying the world is your oyster. The older image shows an oyster with a pearl inside, a hidden prize, and changing it to a lobster makes the line funny while keeping the idea that 'many opportunities are available' or 'anything is possible'.