On the Loose 🦜
On the Loose - 🆓 Not constrained by responsibilities, free to indulge oneself. This seemingly modern slangy expression dates from the mid-1700s, when it could also mean to live by prostitution. That may or not have been intended by John Cleland when he wrote, “The giddy wildness of young girls once got upon the loose” (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, 1749).
Synonyms:
- Footloose and fancy-free
- Fancy-free
- Unhindered
- Without shackles
- Running wild
Antonyms:
- Tied down
- Bound
- Restrained
- Under lock and key
- Tethered
Related Expressions & Proverbs:
- “Free as a bird”
- “Living on borrowed time”
- “Loose cannon”
- “Breaking free from the chains”
- “Paint the town red”
Quote Worth Cheering:
“The best things in life are wild and free.” — Unknown
Literature, Songs, and Pop Culture:
🎵 Songs:
- Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf
- Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
- Wild World – Cat Stevens
📚 Books:
- Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
🎬 Movies:
- Into the Wild (2007)
- Wild (2014)
### True or False: 'On the loose' refers to being free from constraints.
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** Absolutely true! "On the loose" means being free from restrictions or responsibilities.
### Which of these is NOT a synonym for 'on the loose'?
- [ ] Unhindered
- [ ] Fancy-free
- [ ] Ongoing
- [x] Shackled
> **Explanation:** Synonyms like unhindered, fancy-free, and ongoing denote freedom, unlike "shackled," which means restrained.
### In which century did 'on the loose' first appear?
- [ ] 1500s
- [ ] 1600s
- [x] 1700s
- [ ] 1800s
> **Explanation:** "On the loose" dates back to the mid-1700s.
### Complete the idiom: 'Footloose and ______-free'.
- [ ] Worry
- [ ] Joy
- [x] Fancy
- [ ] Risk
> **Explanation:** The idiom is "Footloose and fancy-free."
### Identify the movie where a character goes 'on the loose' in nature?
- [ ] The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
- [ ] Forrest Gump
- [x] Into the Wild
- [ ] The Beach
> **Explanation:** In *Into the Wild*, the main character, Chris McCandless, sheds societal constraints and goes on the loose in nature.
🚶✨ May your journey be as free and wild as your spirit desires. Don’t forget: life’s best adventures happen when you’re “on the loose”!
Elliot K. Langwilder 🌏🦜, signing off.
