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live rent-free in someone's head. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
live rent-free in someone's head, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
live rent-free in someone's head in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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live rent-free in someone's head, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Often attributed to American advice columnist Eppie Lederer (1918–2002), who used it in her syndicated advice column in 1990.
Verb
live rent-free in someone's head (third-person singular simple present lives rent-free in someone's head, present participle living rent-free in someone's head, simple past and past participle lived rent-free in someone's head)
- (chiefly US, informal, idiomatic) To be the perpetual focus of someone's thoughts, with that person having no control over this situation.
- Synonym: live rent-free in someone's mind
1990 March 8, Ann Landers , “Breast cancer is in her family”, in Daily American, volume 62, number 210, Somerset, Pa., page 12:Gem of the Day: Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent free in your head.
2010, Jennifer C. Hunt, Seven Shots: An NYPD Raid on a Terrorist Cell and Its Aftermath, page 32:The difficult bosses then get under their skin and live “rent-free” in their heads long after they've left work and gone home to sleep.
2015, Joanne Bamberger, Love Her, Love Her Not: The Hillary Paradox:It may not seem that way, but this is a testament to Hillary's ability to successfully make such a mark on her opposition that she lives rent-free in their heads for decades.
Usage notes
- This phrase conveys a disparaging attitude toward the person who is preoccupied with such thoughts.