Searching 1,789 entries, their variants, meanings, and origins
“luck”
Showing 25–27 of 27 matches
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Star-crossed lovers
Origin … lovers are undone by a malign fate rather than simple bad luck. From announcing one plot the phrase grew into a general literary archetype, applied backwards to Pyramus and Thisbe and forwards to countless…
Also known as a pair of star-crossed lovers · star-cross'd lovers · star-crossed pair · star-crossed romance
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A run for your money
Origin … 1856 ('owners to have a run for their money, just for the luck'), via Green's Dictionary of Slang. The first recorded figurative use is Hotten's Slang Dictionary of 1874: 'To have a run for one's money is…
Also known as a real run for my money · get a run for your money · give someone a run for their money · have a run for your money
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Like a cat with nine lives
Origin From 16th-century England, tied to cats; nine lives in lore, slang by 1580s in a play for luck. A 1660s text uses it for a save.
Also known as Nine lives