(as) happy as a pig in clover

Very happy and contented in one's situation. Johnny loves politics, so he's as happy as a pig in clover at this convention. She settled into the chair with a glass of wine and a book, happy as a pig in clover. I'm home from that work trip and happy as a pig in clover. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed tonight!

(as) rare as a four-leaf clover

Very rare or uncommon. A clover with four leaves instead of the usual three is traditionally thought to be a good-luck charm due to its rarity. Please, who would I even ask to the prom? A high school boy who isn't a doofus is as rare as a four-leaf clover. Passionate love like you find in a poem has always seemed rare as a four-leaf clover in my experience. Support for the president is as rare as a four-leaf clover in this part of the country.

be (as) rare as a four-leaf clover

To be very rare or uncommon. A clover with four leaves instead of the usual three is traditionally thought to be a good-luck charm due to its rarity. Please, who would I even ask to the prom? A high school boy who isn't a doofus is as rare as a four-leaf clover. Passionate love like you find in a poem has always been rare as a four-leaf clover in my experience. Support for the president is as rare as a four-leaf clover in this part of the country.

be in clover

To live without financial stress. If only I could win the lottery, then I would be in clover, instead of working three jobs to pay my bills. He's been in clover his whole life, so it's no wonder he's finding it tough having to fend for himself for once. Thanks, but I don't need some rich boy who's always been in clover to criticize my spending decisions.

See also: clover

four-leaf clover

1. Literally, a clover with four leaves instead of the usual three, traditionally thought to be a good-luck charm due to its rarity. You found a four-leaf clover and you saw a shooting star? Wow, you must be really lucky today! Don't get too excited, it's not a real four-leaf clover—it's just a decoration from St. Patrick's Day. Where do you even find four-leaf clovers? Ireland?

2. By extension, any person or thing that is considered a bringer of good fortune. The new kicker has been something of a four-leaf clover for the team, as they've won every game since he signed with them. No, you can't leave while we're winning! What if you're our four-leaf clover? This jersey is my four-leaf clover. Seriously—the Eagles lose any time I don't wear it during a game!

See also: clover

in clover

Living without financial stress. If only I could win the lottery, then I would be in clover, instead of working three jobs to pay my bills. He's been in clover his whole life, so it's no wonder he's finding it tough having to fend for himself for once. Thanks, but I don't need some rich boy who's always been in clover to criticize my spending decisions.

See also: clover

like a pig in clover

slang Very happily and contentedly. Johnny loves politics, so he's like a pig in clover at this convention. The two of them lived like pigs in clover off the settlement they got from the government after the accident.

live in clover

To live without financial stress; to live in comfort or luxury. If only I could win the lottery, then I would be living in clover, instead of working three jobs to pay my bills. He's lived in clover his whole life, so it's no wonder he's finding it tough having to fend for himself for once.

rolling in clover

Very happy or content, often because one is living without financial stress. If only I could win the lottery, then I would be in clover, instead of working three jobs to pay my bills. Johnny loves politics, so he's basically rolling in clover at this convention.

in clover

Fig. having good fortune; in a very good situation, especially financially. If I get this contract, I'll be in clover for the rest of my life. I have very little money saved, so when I retire I won't exactly be in clover.

See also: clover

in clover

Prosperous, living well. For example, After we make our first million, we'll be in clover. This expression alludes to cattle happily feeding on clover. Slightly different versions are like pigs in clover and rolling in clover. [c. 1700]

See also: clover

like pigs in clover

Extremely contentedly, as in They had a handsome pension and lived like pigs in clover. This expression alludes to pigs being allowed to eat as much clover, a favorite food, as they wish. It appeared in the Boston Gazette of January 7, 1813: "Canadians! then in droves come over, And live henceforth like pigs in clover." [Early 1800s]

in clover

If you are in clover, you are happy or secure because you have a lot of money or are enjoying a luxurious lifestyle. Developers and bankers were in clover until Congress abruptly changed the rules again. For the next ten days I was in clover at Vicky's house. She took me to all the town's best restaurants and clubs. Note: Clover is a plant which often grows in fields of grass. Cows are said to enjoy grazing in fields which contain a lot of clover.

See also: clover

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

in clover

in ease and luxury.

This sense of the phrase is a reference to clover's being particularly attractive to livestock, as in the expression happy as a pig in clover .

See also: clover

in ˈclover

(informal) in comfort or luxury: Since winning the lottery, they’ve been living in clover.

See also: clover

in clover

Living a carefree life of ease, comfort, or prosperity.

See also: clover

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

in clover, to be/live

To prosper. This expression, with its analogy to cattle feeding happily in a field of clover, dates from the early eighteenth century. It occasionally has been put like pigs in clover, and, in twentieth-century America, rolling in clover. All of them mean “to live well.”