bed of roses

a bed of roses

An easy, comfortable situation. After John complained about his long, tiring day at work, his father turned to him and said, "You didn't think your new job in construction was going to be a bed of roses, did you?" Is marriage a bed of roses? No. But is it well worth the time and effort required to make it work? Yes. Being around my ex-boyfriend is not a bed of roses, let me just say.

See also: bed, of, rose

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

bed of roses

A comfortable or luxurious position, as in Taking care of these older patients is no bed of roses. This metaphor, first recorded in 1635, is often used in a negative context, as in the example. Also see bowl of cherries.

See also: bed, of, rose

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bed of roses

n. a luxurious situation; an easy life. Who said life would be a bed of roses?

See also: bed, of, rose

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

bed of roses, a

A delightful place, a very pleasant situation. The metaphor was employed by English poets from Christopher Marlowe on. Today it is often used in a negative sense—that is, some situation is not a bed of roses. Indeed, the metaphor lacks literal truth anyway, as garden expert Allen Lacy pointed out in a New York Times column of 1987: “A bed of roses isn’t, considering all the fussy care they require—remove faded blossoms, minor pruning, spraying, dusting.”

See also: bed, of

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer