👑 Living Like a Prince: Reveling in Regal Rhetoric 👸
“To live extremely well, in lavish circumstances.” This simile dates from the sixteenth century and has somehow outlived the days when royalty was preeminent in wealth and position. It is still used just as Samuel Pepys did in his Diary in 1660: “We came to Sir W. Batten’s, where he lives like a prince.”
Synonyms and Similar Expressions:
- Living high on the hog 🐖: Enjoying wealth and luxury.
- Living the high life 🌆: Leading an extravagant, high-status lifestyle.
- To live in the lap of luxury 🛋️: To experience great wealth and comfort.
- Living the dream 🌠: Achieving an ideal lifestyle filled with wealth and possessions.
Antonyms:
- Living hand to mouth 🍞: Struggling financially, only affording the bare minimum.
- Scraping by 🙁: Managing to live, but with great difficulty and little comfort.
Wit and Wisdom:
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” — William Shakespeare, “Twelfth Night”
Related Proverbs and Idioms:
- “Keeping up with the Joneses”: Competing with neighbors materially.
- “Champagne taste on a beer budget”🍾🍺: Desiring expensive things while having a modest budget.
- “Golden handcuffs”💼: Benefiting financially through salary or perks, but feeling constrained by the same.
Literature and Media:
- “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald: The epitome of living lavishly, albeit with darker undertones of excess and emptiness.
- “Cinderella” by Various Authors: A rags-to-riches tale exemplifying the transformation to a princely lifestyle.
- “Rich Kids of Instagram” (Instagram Handle/TV Series)📸: Modern-day examples of living lavishly.
Music and Poetry:
- “Rich Girl” by Gwen Stefani feat. Eve: A contemporary anthem about fantasies of vast wealth.
- “If I Were a Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof🎭: Imagining the luxuries wealth could bring.
Movies:
- “The Devil Wears Prada”👠: A behind-the-scenes look at the high society, fashion industry.
- “Crazy Rich Asians”🎬: A joyful portrayal of extreme wealth mixed with cultural intricacies.
### Which phrase means "living in great luxury"?
- [x] Living like a prince
- [ ] Eating like a sparrow
- [ ] Running with wolves
- [ ] Dressed to blend in
> **Explanation:** "Living like a prince" means living in great luxury. The others are creatively amusing, but not pertinent here.
### Select a synonym for "living like a prince":
- [x] Living in the lap of luxury
- [ ] Sinking in debt
- [ ] Chasing waterfalls
- [ ] Reading between the lines
> **Explanation:** "Living in the lap of luxury" is a synonym, meaning enjoying a wealthy lifestyle.
### Which phrase is an antonym of "living like a prince"?
- [ ] Riding high
- [x] Scraping by
- [ ] Walking on air
- [ ] Rolling in dough
> **Explanation:** "Scraping by" means struggling to make ends meet, so it’s an antonym.
### True or False: "Keeping up with the Joneses" means competing to have the best appearances.
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** True! It's about striving to match neighbors' material goods and social status.
