live it up, Informal. to live in an extravagant or wild manner; pursue pleasure: He started living it up after he got out of the army.
live well, to live comfortably: They're not wealthy but they live well.
Origin of live
1
before 900;Middle Englishliven,Old Englishlifian, libban; cognate with Dutchleven,Germanleben,Old Norselifa,Gothicliban
live
2
[lahyv]
adjective,liv·er,liv·estfor 4–7, 13–15.
being alive; living; alive: live animals.
of, relating to, or during the life of a living being: the animal's live weight.
characterized by or indicating the presence of living creatures: the live sounds of the forest.
Informal. (of a person) energetic; alert; lively: The club members are a really live bunch.
full of life, energy or activity: His approach in any business dealing is live and fresh.
burning or glowing: live coals in the fireplace.
having resilience or bounce: a live tennis ball.
being in play, as a baseball or football.
loaded or unexploded, as a cartridge or shell: live ammunition.
made up of actual persons: to perform before a live audience.
(of a radio or television program) broadcast while happening or being performed; not prerecorded or taped: a live telecast.
being highly resonant or reverberant, as an auditorium or concert hall.
vivid or bright, as color.
of current interest or importance, as a question or issue; controversial; unsettled.
moving or imparting motion; powered: the live head on a lathe.
still in use, or to be used, as type set up or copy for printing.
Also alive. Electricity. electrically connected to a source of potential difference, or electrically charged so as to have a potential different from that of earth: a live wire.
adverb
(of a radio or television program) at the moment of its happening or being performed; not on tape or by prerecording: a program broadcast live.
Idioms
live one, Slang.
a person who spends money readily.
a person easily imposed upon or made the dupe of others.
Origin of live
2
1535–45;1930–35for def 11; aphetic variant of alive, used attributively
Old English lifian (Anglian), libban (West Saxon) "to be, to live, have life; to experience," also "to supply oneself with food, to pass life (in some condition)," from Proto-Germanic *liben (cf. Old Norse lifa "to live, remain," Old Frisian libba, German leben, Gothic liban "to live"), from PIE root *leip- "to remain, continue" (cf. Greek liparein "to persist, persevere;" see leave). Meaning "to make a residence, dwell" is from c.1200. Related: Lived; living.
According to the Dutch Prouerbe ... Leuen ende laetan leuen, To liue and to let others liue. [Malynes, 1622]
To live it up "live gaily and extravagantly" is from 1903. To live up to "act in accordance with" is 1690s, from earlier live up "live on a high (moral or mental) level" (1680s). To live (something) down "outwear (some slander or embarrassment)" is from 1842. To live with "cohabit as husband and wife" is attested from 1749; sense of "to put up with" is attested from 1937. Expression live and learn is attested from c.1620.
adj.
1540s, "having life," later (1610s) "burning, glowing," a shortening of alive (q.v.). Sense of "containing unspent energy or power" (live ammunition, etc.) is from 1799. Meaning "in-person" (of performance) is first attested 1934. Live wire is attested from 1890; figurative sense of "active person" is from 1903.
