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The phrase came into common usage around the time of WWI. The first printed citation of ‘the life of Riley’ (with the easy/carefree meaning of the phrase) that I have found is from New Jersey newspaper The News, May 1910: Henry Mungersdorf is living the life of Riley just at present. Quotation marks are usually added to phrases that the ...
Origin of “The Life of Riley”. The phrase “life of a riley” was first used in the New Jersey newspaper, The News, published in 1910, where it is stated as; “Henry Mungersdorf is living the life of Riley just at present.”. Later, it was used by Sergeant Leonard in an extract, published in 1918, where he wrote, “that he and his pals ...
Living the life of Riley is an American phrase that first showed up in the early 1900s. It was from a New Jersey newspaper, The News, saying, “Henry Mungersdorf is living the life of Riley just at present.”. There were no quotation marks to imply the unfamiliarity of the expression. That means the life of Riley might have already been ...
Nov 18, 2002 · "Living The Life of Riley" Posted by David S. Riley on November 18, 2002. Subject: The life of Riley. Dave Riley +++++ *Living on my Reillys, Rileys,etc. Back when the Rileys were top of the pile, a family coat of arms used to mean something --like a logo supposedly for genetic material. It can be viewed as an abstract representation of a ...
Oct 31, 1998 · Upon me soul, Riley, you’re doing quite well. Written in 1883 by Pat Rooney, a well-known vaudeville comedian, singer and Irish impersonator. The hero, an innkeeper, describes what he will do when he strikes it rich: “New York will be swimming in wine” and “A hundred a day will be very small pay / when the White House and Capitol are ...
Life of Reilly/Riley. Living the life of Reilly, means living an easy, affluent life. The evidence points to an expression of Irish-American origin dating from the late 19th century. There does not appear to have been a real person named Reilly or Riley (the spelling varies) who lived a life of affluence and luxury.
Aug 14, 2024 · The ‘Life of Riley’ idiom finds its place in various situations. You might use it to describe someone who’s on a luxurious vacation, or even a friend who seems to have everything going their way. For example, ‘Ever since he won the lottery, he’s been living the Life of Riley.’. It’s a versatile phrase that can be used both ...
