for the life of one


Although trying hard, as in I can't for the life of me remember his name. This expression is always used hyperbolically, that is, one's life is not at all endangered. [Late 1700s]

Words Nearby for the life of one

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.