for the life of me

Meaning: However hard I try.

Language: English

Literally: (Already vivid in English)

Example: “For the life of me, I can't remember her husband's name.”

Category: Daily Life

Origin: Short for "not even if my life depended on it." The phrase is recorded from the 18th century and is almost always used in the negative.

Equivalents in other languages

kick the can down the road — To put off dealing with a problem, leaving it for later.
drop the ball — To make a mistake, especially by failing to do something one was responsible for.
come out of the closet — To tell people openly that one is gay or lesbian; more broadly, to reveal something kept…
neither here nor there — Not relevant to the matter being discussed.
at this stage of the game — At this point in a process, usually when it is late to change things.
get the hang of something — To learn how to do something.

away with the fairies — Daydreaming, or not quite in touch with reality.
something is rotten in the state of Denmark — Something is seriously wrong, often something being hidden.
the eye of the storm — The center of a crisis; sometimes a brief calm in the middle of it.
poor as a church mouse — Extremely poor.
go all out — To make the greatest possible effort.
at the end of the day — When everything is taken into account; in the end.

Toska — A dull ache of the soul; a great longing with nothing in particular to long for.
Dépaysement — The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…
Flâner — To wander a city slowly and aimlessly, savouring it with no destination in mind — the art…