existence
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Related to existence: Existence of aliens
bane of (one's) existence
The source or cause of one's misfortune, unhappiness, frustration, or anxiety, usually used hyperbolically. I swear, this project is the bane of my existence. I've been working on it for months and still haven't made any real progress! Jane has been constantly annoying me all week. She's been the bane of my very existence!
charmed existence
A life characterized or seemingly protected by marked good fortune or luck, without (or rarely) encountering trouble, danger, or misfortune. Often preceded by the verbs "lead," "live," or "have." Celebrities seem to have a rather charmed existence, with everything handed to them on a silver platter. Other than minor colds, I've never been ill in my life. I guess I've just led a charmed existence.
come into existence
To appear or arise; to begin to exist. This company only came into existence through the hard work of my talented staff. The newly captured images are helping scientists to understand how some stars come into existence.
have a charmed existence
To lead a life characterized or seemingly protected by marked good fortune or luck, without (or rarely) encountering trouble, danger, or misfortune. Celebrities seem to have a rather charmed existence, with everything handed to them on a silver platter. Other than minor colds, I've never been ill in my life. I guess I've just had a charmed existence.
in existence
1. Currently existing. This type of bird won't be in existence for much longer if people keep hunting it for sport.
2. Currently functioning or operating. Man, that is the worst coffee shop in existence—I've almost spat out their lattes before!
3. Having been created or having taken effect. How long has the review panel been in existence? That law wasn't in existence back when I was a cop.
See also: existence
lead a charmed existence
To lead a life characterized or seemingly protected by marked good fortune or luck, without (or rarely) encountering trouble, danger, or misfortune. Celebrities seem to lead a rather charmed existence, with everything handed to them on a silver platter. Other than minor colds, I've never been ill in my life. I guess I've just led a charmed existence.
live a charmed existence
To lead a life characterized or seemingly protected by marked good fortune or luck, without (or rarely) encountering trouble, danger, or misfortune. Celebrities seem to live a rather charmed existence, with everything handed to them on a silver platter. Other than minor colds, I've never been ill in my life. I guess I've just lived a charmed existence.
wink out
1. Of a flame or light, to become suddenly extinguished. The flashlight sputtered and winked out, leaving us stuck in the cave with no source of light. I sat dreamily watching each candle wink out in the early hours of the morning.
2. To be abruptly killed, destroyed, or ruined. Typically used in passive constructions and often followed by "of existence." I was there on the ground, watching as innocent men, women, and children were winked out of existence by the enemy gunfire. Entire towns were simply winked out as drought and famine swept through the region.
come into existence
to begin existence; to begin to be. This country came into existence in the early part of the fifteenth century. When did this little town come into existence?
in existence
now existing; currently and actually being. The tiger may not be in existence in a few decades. All the oil in existence will not last the world for another century.
See also: existence
the bane of somebody’s ˈlife/eˈxistence
a person or thing that makes somebody’s life unpleasant or unhappy: That car is always breaking down! It’s the bane of my life. OPPOSITE: a ray of sunshinewink out
v.
To become quickly extinguished, especially following a weak burst of activity: The candle flickered and winked out. The street lamps winked out one by one.
bane of one's existence, the
The agent of one’s ruin or misery; a thorn in the flesh. The earliest meaning of the noun bane was “murderer” and was so used in Beowulf (ca. a.d. 800). A somewhat later meaning was “poison,” which survives as part of the names of various poisonous plants, such as henbane or wolf’s bane. The current sense, an agent of ruin, dates from the late 1500s. Today it is almost always used hyperbolically, as in “The new secretary loses all my messages; she’s become the bane of my existence.”