Get a life

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This article is about the American English idiom. For other uses, see Get a life (disambiguation).

Get a life is an American English idiom usually intended as a taunt. The phrase generally instructs its addressee to go out and make their way in the world, without being supported by outside sources such as parents or benefactors. It may also be directed at someone who is perceived as boring or single-minded like morons, to suggest they acquire some other, more practical interests or hobbies and get dates, find a job, move to their own house etc.

The phrase is also used against people who are viewed as officious or intermeddling in someone else's affairs. It is another way of saying "Get your own life", or "Stay out of my business."

The term was popularized by William Shatner's appearance in a 1987 episode of Saturday Night Live, in which he tells a group of trekkies to "get a life." However, evidence of the term's use in the vernacular predates that broadcast.^[1] In the early 1980s the phrase appeared as a more emphatic variant of (and a retort to) the then common taunt "Get a job."^[2] More recently, in addition to these examples, it has been applied to so-called workaholics and others who are perceieved as dedicated to their work (out of "labor of love" as opposed to money or loyalty to the company) but not taking the time to relax or enjoy life.

[edit] References

^ Sean O'Casey, Peter Hedges Baby Anger, p. 48 , 1986. "Get a life, people of New Jersey!"
^ No cite yet, but see "american folklore" in Talk:Get a life#american folklore.