IdiomDaily LifeEnglish

do or die

Meaning: To make a final, all-out effort, whatever the risk.

Example: “It's do or die for the team: lose tonight and the season is over.”

Origin: A battle cry meaning success or death, with no retreat. Robert Burns used "Let us do or die" in his 1793 poem Scots Wha Hae, and the phrase was already in use in the 17th century.

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