British, American & Australian, American

if you say that someone was somewhere as large as life, you mean that you were surprised to see them there.

I looked up from my paper and there he was, as large as life, Tim Taylor!

• keep your eyes peeled
• keep your eyes peeled for
• keep your eyes peeled for something
• keep your eyes skinned
• keep your feet on the ground
• keep your finger on the pulse
• keep your hand in
• keep your hand in something
• keep your hands clean
• keep your hands off
• keep your hands off something
• keep your head
• keep your head above water
• keep your head down
• keep your mouth shut
• keep your nose clean
• keep your nose out of
• keep your nose out of something
• keep your nose to the grindstone
• keep your options open
• keep your own counsel
• Keep your pecker up!
• keep your powder dry
• keep yourself to
• keep yourself to yourself