alive (live) and kicking (well)
alive (live) and kicking (well)
Very much alive and alert; still surviving. The term originated with fishmongers who thus described their wares, meaning that they were extremely fresh. By the mid-nineteenth century it was considered a cliché. A more recent version is alive and well, which originated as a denial to a false report of someone’s death. It was given a boost by the French singer Jacques Brel, whose show and recording, translated as Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, became immensely popular in the 1970s.
See also: alive, and, kick
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- be at the helm
- at the helm
- at the helm/tiller
- don't cry stinking fish
- shwench
- cry stinking fish
- dream team
- boondocks
- balls-out
- balls to the wall