to luck through life
- phrasal verb
- UK
- Some people seem to luck through life while others struggle despite their best efforts.
Examples
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He managed to luck through life, stumbling from one fortunate opportunity to another.
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He seems to luck through life without any real effort.
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Although she rarely planned, she often lucked through life and ended up exactly where she wanted.
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Many people just luck through life and hope for the best.
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She seems to luck through life, finding success by chance rather than through hard work.
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He has a unique ability to luck through life, always landing in favorable situations without planning.
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Despite not making any specific plans, Jane managed to luck through life and achieve her dreams.
Synonyms
To get something by chance rather than by planning or effort
To do well by chance
To succeed by chance without skill or planning
To get unexpected good luck
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning ‘to succeed by chance throughout one’s life’ is directly derivable from combining 'luck' (good fortune) with 'through life' (across the span of life); there is no idiomatic shift. This compositional pattern (having luck throughout life) is straightforward and cross-linguistically plausible, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand it.
Etymology
Luck through life gives a simple picture: imagine someone in a small boat being carried along by good luck, moving through dangers and problems without doing much rowing. That's why it means 'to succeed by chance rather than effort'.