LIFE OF RILEY Definition & Meaning

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life of Riley

noun

Informal.

a carefree, comfortable, and thoroughly enjoyable way of living:
Since winning the lottery, he's led the life of Riley.

life of Riley

A life of luxury: “Sheila found herself living the life of Riley after she won the lottery.” The expression comes from a popular song of the 1880s, “Is That Mr. Reilly?”, in which the title character describes what he would do if he suddenly became wealthy.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of life of Riley¹

First recorded in 1920–25; perhaps after the Reilly mentioned in various songs popular around 1900, as “The Best of the House Is None Too Good for Reilly”

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Idioms and Phrases

Also, life of Reilly . An easy life, as in Peter had enough money to take off the rest of the year and live the life of Riley . This phrase originated in a popular song of the 1880s, “Is That Mr. Reilly?” by Pat Rooney, which described what its hero would do if he suddenly came into a fortune.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

USC put its coaching search into overdrive, from 0 to 60 in nothing flat, swapping out a clunky old jalopy for a shiny turbocharged Lincoln, and now the Trojans are living the life of Riley.

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Ms. Hitchcock was a lively, witty actor whose other credits included the TV sitcoms “My Little Margie” and “The Life of Riley” and several roles in the TV series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.”

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Hitchcock was a lively, witty actor with a heart-shaped face and her other acting credits included the TV sitcoms “My Little Margie” and “The Life of Riley” and several roles in the TV series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.”

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She also appeared in several popular TV shows, such as "My Little Margie," "Father Knows Best" "Perry Mason" and "The Life of Riley."

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When Mitchell’s widow was last interviewed in 2016, she lamented the “life of Riley” lived by the couple.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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