English Idioms
Comprehensive resource for understanding and mastering English idioms
Easy come, easy go
Meaning
The idiom "easy come, easy go" means that something gained easily can also be lost easily, or that good fortune tends to come and go without warning. It suggests a lack of stability in a situation.
Usage
- I had a great job once, but it was easy come, easy go - I lost it just as quickly as I got it.
- We were doing so well financially, but then everything took a turn for the worse - easy come, easy go.
- My relationship with my partner has always been easy come, easy go - we have our ups and downs.
- I was really excited about this new opportunity, but it turned out to be just as fleeting as all the others - easy come, easy go.
- We were living the dream, traveling the world and trying new things, but then we had a big argument and everything fell apart - easy come, easy go.
Roots and History
The idiom "easy come, easy go" is believed to have originated in the United States in the 19th century. It may have been influenced by various cultural factors such as the American West's emphasis on luck and chance, as well as the transient nature of life in a rapidly changing society. The idiom was first used in literature in the late 1800s and has since become a common expression in modern English.
Synonyms in English
- Fleeting fortune
- Luck of the draw
- Fortune's wheel turns
- Tides of luck
- Fluctuations of fortune
Synonyms in other languages
- 幸運が来るのがよい (Japanese) - Luck is good but it can also be bad
- אני מהות שלון זכרייאה ביחים יותר אל נהגה תפסד ברישויים ועל טבת שלון קנסורים (Hebrew) - The easy way is not always the right one
- اوردية (Arabic) - Good fortune that comes and goes quickly
- سلطة الغذان (Arabic) - Easily gained but easily lost
- أشفقاء (Arabic) - Fortune that changes quickly