life of the party en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) A person who participates in entertainment events in a very enthusiastic manner and who has a leading role in inspiring others to join in the spirit of festivity.
‘You were the life of the party last night, Ma'am, you know,’ returned Flowers, ‘and you suffer for it, to-day, you see.’
1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, chapter 37, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:Tom was the life of the party, and the way he "cut up" was "simply awful," as Nellie declared.
1915, Edward Stratemeyer, chapter 30, in The Rover Boys in Business:They were the life of the party and everyone loves them, even though it was not a party that the nation can afford to throw again.
1950 January 2, “Headliners of the 1920s”, in Life, page 46:
- (broadly, figuratively) A sociable and vivacious person.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| the life of the party | canonical | lexicographic |
Synonyms
life and soul of the party · party animal
Translations (4)
ru душа компании (Translations) · de Stimmungskanone (Translations) · it essere l'anima della festa (Translations) · pl dusza towarzystwa (Translations)