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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

come up roses en · VERB

Pronunciation

Etymology

Coined by lyricist Stephen Sondheim for a song from the musical Gypsy (1959).

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic) To enter into a condition or situation which is favorable; to develop in a pleasing or advantageous manner.
    • "Buck up, mister. Why, with your background, your knowledge, you'll come up roses." 1985, Stephen Longstreet, Our Father's House, →ISBN, page 233:
    • All of a sudden, or so it seemed, the world had turned around and they were coming up roses. Now, instead of the bottle being half empty it was suddenly half full, and getting closer and closer to the top. 1978, Hubert Selby, Requiem for a Dream, →ISBN, page 127:
    • [E]verything came up roses for Warren Beatty. The all-important New York Times review by Brooks Atkinson called him "earnest and attractive". 2006, Suzanne Finstad, Warren Beatty: A Private Man, →ISBN, page 221:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
come up roses Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
comes up roses Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
came up roses Tense=Past lexicographic
coming up roses Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Relateds

come up trumps · smell like a rose