it's a dog's life

it's a dog's life

Life is difficult, unpleasant, or boring. You whipper-snappers think you've got a bright future ahead of you, but it's a dog's life, I tell you!
See also: life
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

dog's life

A miserably unhappy existence, as in He's been leading a dog's life since his wife left him. This expression was first recorded in a 16th-century manuscript and alludes to the miserable subservient existence of dogs during this era. By the 1660s there was a proverb: "It's a dog's life, hunger and ease."
See also: life
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

it's a dog's life

People say it's a dog's life to mean that life is difficult and unpleasant. It's a dog's life being a football manager.
See also: life
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
See also:
  • dog's life
  • a dog's life
  • live a dog's life
  • lead a dog's life
  • cannot for the life of me/him/her/us/them
  • can't for the life of me
  • life
  • Life is short and time is swift
  • life is short(, and time is swift)
  • not give a stuff