Fun with Idioms: Can't Live Without It

This headline in a tweet made me laugh today:

Little-Known Apps That Entrepreneurs Can’t Live Without zite.to/12UBJNu

— C.C. Chapman (@cc_chapman) April 30, 2013



If they're little-known apps, that means most entrepreneuers don't have them; but if entrepreneurs can't live without the apps, does that mean most entrepreneurs are dying?

Fortunately, English isn't that literal.

"Can't live without it" is an idiom; it doesn't mean exactly what it says. If you can't live without something, it usually means you love it or find it extremely useful.

People aren't dying, but somehow that headline still struck my funny bone.
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Published on April 30, 2013 10:15 Tags: english, idioms, writing
Comments Showing 1-6 of 6 (6 new)    post a comment »
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message 1: by Stan (new)

Stan My favorite headline of all time is "Calcavechia pulls out after birth of first child," meaning that the golf had withdrawn (ahem) from a tournament after his wife had a baby


message 2: by Gary (new)

Gary Strictly speaking I don't think that it necessarily means that most entrepreneurs don't have them - It could mean simply that most people don't have them, while at the same time it could be that most entrepreneurs (a small proportion of the general population) do...

But yes... the idea of all those people dying because they don't have the book / recipe / shoes that you "can't live without" is grinworthy.


message 3: by Stan (new)

Stan golfer GOLFER


message 4: by Valerie (new)

Valerie Brooks Love your sense of humor, Mignon. (No, that's not an order.) Can't live without it.

-Valerie Brooks
www.TheWriteEdit.com


message 5: by Megan (new)

Megan Stan wrote: "My favorite headline of all time is "Calcavechia pulls out after birth of first child," meaning that the golf had withdrawn (ahem) from a tournament after his wife had a baby"

That is fantastic. Thanks for the laugh!


message 6: by Mahmoud (new)

Mahmoud Saeed I love idioms and metaphor and all forms of language improvements, I'm an Iraqi writer living in Chicago, but my English is not enable me to write perfectly, so I put condition for any one who want to translate my works into English he must understand idioms and metaphor in both languages​​.Thank you
Mahmoud Saee
Iraqi novelist


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