matter of life and death, a

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Idioms and Phrases

A very urgent issue, situation, or circumstance. This expression can be used either literally, as in She told the doctor to hurry as it was a matter of life and death , or hyperbolically, as in Don't worry about finishing on time—it's hardly a matter of life and death . First recorded in 1849, it alludes to such urgency that someone's life depends on it. Although a matter of life or death would make more sense, it is rarely put that way.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

matter of fact, a matter of opinion, a

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