Etymology Journal ยท L
Look alive!
Meaning
- A command to pay attention, show some energy, or prepare for immediate action. It suggests you are being too sluggish.
Urgent, brisk
Used in a sentence
- Look alive, the coach is coming over to the bench.
- Look alive, we have to finish this inventory before the store opens.
- Look alive, there is a customer coming in.
The backstory
Rooted in military or manual labor commands where alertness was necessary for safety. It means to act as if you are actually alive and present.
Heard in
Nationwide
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