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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 ...
Oct 22, 2011 · The song tells the story of a man named Reilly who lives a carefree life despite his lack of money or success. In American culture, the phrase has been used since at least the early 20th century and is often associated with wealthy individuals who live lavish lifestyles.
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 ...
The Life of Reilly is also a film adaptation of the play, Save it for the Stage: The Life of Reilly. It’s a one-man play by Charles Nelson Reilly which was first performed in July 2000. Alan Ayckbourn’s Life of Riley also became a well-known play in 2010. It was later on adapted into a French film directed by Alain Resnais.
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.
Dec 22, 1999 · William and Mary Morris’ Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins says: There are several theories of the origin of this popular catch phrase which means, of course, to live luxuriously without working. One authority says it comes from a song of the 1880s, “Is that Mr Reilly?” popularized by Pat Rooney, founder of the great American ...
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What does live the life of Reilly expression mean? Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. Live the life of Reilly - Idioms by The Free Dictionary.
