all one's life's worth

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word all one's life's worth. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word all one's life's worth, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say all one's life's worth in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word all one's life's worth you have here. The definition of the word all one's life's worth will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofall one's life's worth, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • Audio (AU)(file)

Noun

all one's life's worth

  1. (idiomatic) A momentous matter; a very serious risk; a difficult task or situation.
    • 1889, Edward L. Wilson, “From Sinai to Shechem,”, in The Century Magazine, volume 37, page 208:
      Many of its streets are cavern-like, for they run under the houses. . . . There is no regularity of style about them, and it is all one's life is worth to try to find the way among them without a guide and a torch.
    • 1907, B. M. Bower, chapter 7, in The Happy Family:
      "I'm going to take a much-needed nap—and it'll be all your life's worth to let me miss that train!"
    • 1907, George Jean Nathan and Henry Louis Mencken (eds.), The Smart Set: A Magazine of Cleverness, vol. 23, p. 23 (Google snippet view):
      "It's all one's life is worth to board one of these confounded cable-cars."
    • 1912, Acton Davies, Charles Frederic Nirdlinger, chapter 15, in The First Lady in the Land:
      "Fancy planting a capitol in this Godforsaken spot. Fairly reeks of ague and alligators and things. 'Tis all one's life's worth to put foot out of doors."
    • 1962, District of Columbia Appropriations, U.S. Government Printing Office, p. 217 (Google snippet view):
      It is particularly bad out in front of the House Office Building between 5 and 7 o'clock in the evening. It is all your life is worth to get a cab then.
    • 2007, Elridge Trott, Gathering at Vantage, →ISBN, page 242:
      "[I]t's about all your life's worth to go out into that blizzard, even for just a few feet."
    • 2013, Anne Hassett, The Sojourn, →ISBN, page 13:
      "I'm afraid you need to wait until the women say you can come in. It would be all your life's worth to go bustin in now."

Usage notes

  • Usually preceded by some form of "It is".

Translations

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia