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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 ...
Apr 28, 2012 · 141k10245406. To my way of thinking, this explanation does not make sense. In Ireland, to say someone is 'living the live of Reilly' means that he or she is having a great life. My understanding is that the expression comes from 'living the life of royalty, meaning that you are living like a royal, and that the expression has change through ...
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. The Reilly referred to, was the subject of a popular American musical hall song in the 1880s called Is That Mr Reilly?
Apr 9, 2021 · 9 April 2021. To live the life of Riley (or Reilly) is to have a carefree and luxurious existence. But the Riley to which the phrase refers is a bit of mystery. We don’t know who he was or if it even refers to a specific person. There is one candidate who stands out from the rest, but his connection to the phrase is tenuous.
Oct 22, 2011 · Idiom language: English. Etymology: Originated in the US c. 1902 (using the spelling "Reilly"). Popularized during World War I. Earlier origin unknown; various theories exist.DetailsPopularized in and immediately after World War I in both Britain and America, due to troops mixing in wartime.
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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