here today and gone tomorrow

here today, (and) gone tomorrow

Said of something that is short-lived. I can't believe I've already spent the money I got for my birthday. Here today, gone tomorrow! Wow, it's only December 27, and she's already taken down her Christmas decorations? Talk about "here today, gone tomorrow"! You need order tickets now, before they sell out. You know how these things go—here today, and gone tomorrow!

See also: gone, here, tomorrow

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

here today and gone tomorrow

Describing an ephemeral phenomenon, a passing fancy, a fad. Originally this expression referred to the relatively brief span of a human life. It was recorded by numerous writers and was included in James Kelly’s Scottish Proverbs of 1721. By the nineteenth century it had become a less serious thought. T. C. Haliburton (Sam Slick) included it in Wise Saws (1843): “I am a bird of passage—here today and gone tomorrow.”

See also: and, gone, here, today, tomorrow

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