the life of the party
Meaning: A lively, fun person who makes a gathering enjoyable.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Uncle Ray is always the life of the party, until he starts the karaoke.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: "The life of" meaning the animating spirit of a gathering is older; "life of the party" is common from the 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Polish: dusza towarzystwa — literally: soul of society
- French: Un boute-en-train — literally: A put-in-motion
More idioms — Daily Life
- not a soul — Absolutely nobody.
- lose sleep over — To worry a lot about something.
- make a pass at — To make a sexual or romantic advance toward someone.
- overstep the mark — To go beyond what is acceptable.
- shoot down in flames — To reject or destroy an idea or argument completely.
- rough around the edges — Lacking polish or refinement, though basically good.
More English idioms
- kick against the pricks — To resist authority or fate in a way that only hurts oneself.
- hell for leather — As fast as possible.
- buy a pig in a poke — To buy something without examining it first.
- a Trojan horse — Something that seems harmless but hides a threat inside.
- the dogs bark, but the caravan moves on — Let critics complain; one carries on regardless.
- drain the cup to the dregs — To endure a hardship or humiliation to the very end.
From our compliments & insults
- T'as pas inventé le fil à couper le beurre — You're not exactly a genius — the wire to cut butter is about the most obvious tool imagi…
- Tête de mule — An impossibly stubborn person who refuses to change their mind no matter what.
- C'est une vraie chèvre — They're hopelessly stubborn and infuriating — a goat that refuses to be moved.