🎈 Alive (Live) and Kicking (Well)
Definition:
Alive (live) and kicking (well) - Very much alive and alert; still surviving. Originally used by fishmongers to describe fresh fish, the phrase implies liveliness and health. By the mid-19th century, it had become a cliché. The more recent version, alive and well, often denies false reports of death and was popularized by Jacques Brel’s show “Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris” in the 1970s.
Synonyms:
- Full of life
- Hale and hearty
- As fit as a fiddle
- In the pink (of health)
Antonyms:
- As dead as a doornail
- Pushing up daisies
- Six feet under
Humor-filled Quotes:
- “I’m not dead yet!” — Monty Python’s “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”
- “I’m in no shape to exercise — bones creak I suggest the most elementary exercise — winking.” — Ashleigh Brilliant
Proverbs and Sayings:
- “The early bird catches the worm (but the second mouse gets the cheese).”
- “You can’t keep a good man down.”
Related Literature, Books, Songs, Poetry, and Movies:
- Literature: Alive by Piers Paul Read
- Books: Still Alice by Lisa Genova
- Songs: “Stayin’ Alive” by Bee Gees 🎵
- Poetry: Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas — “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
- Movies: Alive (1993), based on the book by Piers Paul Read
### Which of these is a genuine phrase implying staying full of life?
- [ ] Alive and horse kicking
- [x] Alive and kicking
- [ ] Life on pogo sticks
- [ ] Dancing with pumpkins
> **Explanation:** "Alive and kicking" means being very lively and healthy. No horses or pumpkins were involved in this idiom's creation!
### Which statement denotes vigorous health?
- [ ] Dead as a dodo
- [x] Hale and hearty
- [ ] Pushing up mushrooms
- [ ] Sleeping with the sushi
> **Explanation:** "Hale and hearty" means being in robust good health. The others? Not so hearty!
### True or False: 'Alive and well' means an object is lost.
- [ ] True
- [x] False
> **Explanation:** "Alive and well" implies someone is living and doing fine, quite the opposite of being lost!
Farewell, linguistic explorers! May your words be as vibrant and vivacious as dancing dragons. Keep the language lively!
✒️ Lexi Vibrant
