life and limb
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English
Etymology
A reference to a person risking the loss of their life and injury to their limbs (arms and legs).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ˈlaɪf n̩ ˈlɪm/
Audio (General Australian): (file) - Rhymes: -ɪm
Noun
life and limb pl (plural only)
- Existence together with the bodily faculties.
- Synonym: (obsolete) life and member
- Those kids are risking life and limb when they go inside that old abandoned house: it might collapse on their heads.
Usage notes
- The term is often used in phrases referring to the risk of losing such attributes.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
existence together with the bodily faculties
Further reading
- “life and limb” under “life, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2009. - “life and limb, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “life and limb” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.
