forever

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a fool at 40 is a fool forever

proverb Someone who reaches middle age and continues to act foolishly is unlikely to start acting more maturely. A: "He's way too old to be spending his money so frivolously." B: "I know. A fool at 40 is a fool forever." What did Uncle Al think would happen if he tried to hide his profits to avoid the taxes? Geez, a fool at 40 is a fool forever. Are you seriously getting divorced for the third time? I guess it's true what they say—a fool at 40 is a fool forever.

a moment on the lips, forever on the hips

Said of food that is very tasty but very fattening. Sometimes used as warning or expression of disapproval. No chocolate cake for me, thanks. A moment on the lips, forever on the hips! Are you sure you should have a second helping of ice cream? You know what they say, a moment on the lips: forever on the hips. Have you tried this crème brûlée? Who cares about "a moment on the lips, forever on the hips" when something tastes this good!

a thing of beauty is a joy forever

proverb Something beautiful will give pleasure long after it ceases to exist. This phrase is taken from John Keats' poem Endymion. Thoughts of blooming flowers sustain me through the cold winter months. Truly, a thing of beauty is a joy forever. A: "I keep thinking back to all the beautiful sunrises we saw on our trip to the mountains." B: "Right? It's like Keats said: 'a thing of beauty is a joy forever.'" The kids were upset that their snowman was melting, so I tried to remind them that a thing of beauty is a joy forever.

See also: beauty, forever, joy, of, thing

best friend forever

A friend whom one holds very dear and believes will remain a friend for all time. We went through so much growing up, sharing a bond that goes very deep. We're more than just friends—we're best friends forever. Oh yeah, Krista's her best friend forever—they've been inseparable for years.

forever after

Continuing forever from this point onward. The couple lived happily forever after. I know that the horrific images of the war-torn region will continue to haunt me forever after.

forever and a day

1. Eternally; always; ceaselessly. Honey, I'll love you forever and a day!

2. An exceptionally long period of time. Jim, how you been? It's been forever and a day since I last saw you!

forever and ever

Eternally; always; ceaselessly. Honey, I'll love you forever and ever!

lost and gone forever

Lost forever; having no chance of ever being recovered. Nearly $50,000 of our savings, lost and gone forever because you couldn't stay away from that damned casino! I once dreamed of moving to Japan to teach English, but since having kids, that dream is lost and gone forever.

since forever

informal For a very long time. Good luck getting them to switch to a new filing system—they've been using the old one since forever. What are you talking about? I've liked baking since forever! I just never had the time to do it.

speak now or forever hold your peace

cliché If you have complaints or arguments against something, now is the time to express them; otherwise, you're better off just keeping these opinions to yourself going forward. Long associated with wedding ceremonies, in which the marriage officiant asks if anyone present knows of any reason why the couple should not be wed, based on the liturgy in the Christian Book of Common Prayer. OK, I think we have a plan! If anyone has an issue with it, speak now or forever hold your peace!

See also: forever, hold, now, peace, speak

take forever

To take a very long time. You took forever to get home. Was there traffic? Why is it taking forever for our food to come out? Did they forget about us?

forever and ever

and forever and a day

forever. I will love you forever and ever. This car won't keep running forever and ever. We'll have to get a new one sometime upcoming. We have enough money to last forever and a day.

lost and gone forever

lost; permanently lost. My poor doggy is lost and gone forever. My money fell out of my pocket and I am sure that it is lost and gone forever.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

Prov. Beautiful things give pleasure that lasts even longer than the beautiful things themselves. (This is a line from John Keats's poem "Endymion." Also a thing of beauty and a joy forever, used to describe something beautiful in lofty terms, often ironically.) Jill: I don't understand why someone would pay millions of dollars to have some old painting. Jane: Because a thing of beauty is a joy forever.

See also: beauty, forever, joy, of, thing

forever and a day

1. For a very long time, as in He's been working on that book forever and a day. This hyperbolic expression probably originated as a corruption of the now obsolete for ever and ay. Shakespeare used it in The Taming of the Shrew (4:4): "Farewell for ever and a day." Today it is mainly a substitute for "very long time." [c. 1600]

2. Incessantly, ceaselessly, as in Will this racket never end? It's been going on forever and a day. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]

thing of beauty (is a joy forever), a

True loveliness (is a lasting quality). The complete thought is a line from John Keats’s great poem, “Endymion” (1818), and continues, “Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.” The thought is hardly original, but the expression caught on. In the twentieth century it began to be shortened and used simply to describe something lovely, often ironically. Eric Partridge mentioned a play on it made by “flappers,” fashionable young women of the post–World War I era: “A thing of beauty is a boy forever.” Today one is apt to say it of, for example, an elaborately decorated cake.