Get a life

Get a life

"Get a life" is an originally American idiom and catch phrase usually intended as a taunt, to indicate that the person being so addressed is devoting an inordinate amount of time to trivial or hopeless matters. The phrase has also appeared as a generally more emphatic variant of the taunt "get a job"cite book
title = Growing the Distance: Timeless Principles for Personal, Career, and Family Success
first = Jim
last = Clemmer
year = 1999
id = ISBN 0968467504] and implies the addressee needs to go out and make their way in the world, without being supported by outside sources such as parents or benefactors. It may also be directed at someone who is perceived as boring or single-minded; suggesting they acquire some other, more practical interests or hobbies and get dates, find a job, or move to their own house.

It was also applied to so-called workaholics and others who are perceived as dedicated to their work (out of "labor of love" as opposed to money or loyalty to the company) but not taking the time to relax or enjoy life.

Sometimes the phrase is used against people who are viewed as officious or intermeddling in someone else's affairs. It is another way of saying "Get your own life", or "Stay out of my business."

Documented early usage

*1983: The first Oxford English Dictionary citation is from a January 1983 "Washington Post" article: "Gross me out, I mean, Valley Girls was, like, ohmigod, it was last year, fer sure! I mean, get a life! Say what?". [ Oxford English Dictionary]
*1986: Appears in "Baby Anger" page 48 as "Get a life, people of New Jersey!Sean O'Casey, Peter Hedges "Baby Anger", p. 48 , 1986. "Get a life, people of New Jersey!"]
*1987: The term was used by William Shatner's appearance in a 1987 episode of "Saturday Night Live", in which he tells a group of trekkies to "get a life." Although this was meant in jest, some diehard Trekkies were offended by this. [ [http://snltranscripts.jt.org/86/86hgetalife.phtml Transcript of William Shatner's SNL appearance] ]

References

ee also

* Popular culture


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • get a life — phrasal : to stop wasting time on trivial or hopeless matters often used in the imperative * * * get a life see under ↑life • • • Main Entry: ↑get get a life (informal; usu in imperative) To start to live life to the full and do interesting… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Get A Life — Nolife  Cet article concerne le terme franglais. Pour la chaîne du même nom, voir Nolife (télévision). Un nolife (de l anglais « no life », littéralement « pas de vie » ou « sans vie ») est une personne qui… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Get a life — Nolife  Cet article concerne le terme franglais. Pour la chaîne du même nom, voir Nolife (télévision). Un nolife (de l anglais « no life », littéralement « pas de vie » ou « sans vie ») est une personne qui… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • get a life — 1. to have fun. With the time you save, you could learn Italian, paint your basement, even get a life. 2. to do something different. He needs to leave home and get a job – in short, he needs to get a life. Usage notes: often used as an… …   New idioms dictionary

  • Get a life! — exclam. Change your life radically! (See also Get real!) □ You are such a twit! Get a life! □ Get a life, you clown! …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • Get a life! — informal something that you say which means someone is boring and they should find more exciting things to do. You re surely not going to stay in and clean the house on a Saturday night oh, come on, get a life! (often an order) I hear him talking …   New idioms dictionary

  • get a life — change your lifestyle, get it together, get with it    He never goes out just stays at home and watches TV. I wish he would get a life! …   English idioms

  • get a life — spoken used for telling someone that they are boring Stop acting like an idiot and get a life! …   English dictionary

  • Get a life (disambiguation) — Get a life is an American English idiom and catchphrase usually intended as a taunt.Get a Life may also refer to:* Get a Life (TV series), an American sitcom starring Chris Elliott * Get a Life (UK TV series), a UK makeover programme * Get a Life …   Wikipedia

  • Get a Life (novel) — Get a Life (2005) is an ecological novel by South African writer Nadine Gordimer.The novel tells the story of environmental activist Paul Bannerman and his family. Paul is diagnosed with thyroid cancer and, after surgery and subsequent radiation… …   Wikipedia

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