"easy street" meaning in English

See easy street in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈiːzi ˌstɹiːt/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈizi ˌstɹit/ [General-American] Audio: En-au-easy street.ogg
Etymology: From easy (“at ease, comfortable”) + street. Etymology templates: {{compound|en|easy|street|notext=1|t1=at ease, comfortable|type=endocentric}} easy (“at ease, comfortable”) + street Head templates: {{en-noun|-}} easy street (uncountable)
  1. (originally US, idiomatic, informal) Chiefly preceded by on: a carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as as a result of becoming wealthy. Tags: idiomatic, informal, uncountable Categories (topical): Fictional locations Synonyms: Easy Street Related terms: have it made Translations ((informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy): kissanpäivät [plural] (Finnish), helppo elämä (Finnish), él, mint hal a vízben (Hungarian), ле́сна живе́ачка (lésna živéačka) [feminine] (Macedonian), изо́билство (izóbilstvo) [neuter] (Macedonian), благосо́стојба (blagosóstojba) [feminine] (Macedonian), бо́гатство (bógatstvo) [neuter] (Macedonian), hawddfyd [masculine] (Welsh), bywyd braf [masculine] (Welsh)

Alternative forms

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        "2": "easy",
        "3": "street",
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        "t1": "at ease, comfortable",
        "type": "endocentric"
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      "expansion": "easy (“at ease, comfortable”) + street",
      "name": "compound"
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  "etymology_text": "From easy (“at ease, comfortable”) + street.",
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  "lang_code": "en",
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        {
          "ref": "1813, Financial Year Book of the Daily Commercial News, San Francisco, Calif.: Commercial News Pub. Co., →OCLC, page 55, column 2:",
          "text": "Stocks are light, while packers will be able to get financial aid, which will, so far as that is concerned, place them on \"easy street.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1890 August, Marie L[ouise] Marsh, “[The Sketch Book—Character in Outline] Jimsey’s Mascot”, in Current Literature: A Magazine of Record and Review, volume V, number 2, New York, N.Y.: The Current Literature Publishing Co., →OCLC, page 121, column 2:",
          "text": "Once after this I asked the \"pardners\" if Jimsey's mascot was bringing him luck. / \"Yes, lady,\" said Tom, \"we walks on de shady side of de street now—don't we, Jimsey?\" / \"Yes, we lives on Easy street.\"",
          "type": "quote"
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        {
          "ref": "1919, Upton Sinclair, “Jimmie Higgins Puts His Foot in It”, in Jimmie Higgins […], Pasadena, Calif.: Upton Sinclair, →OCLC, section II, page 83:",
          "text": "There was big money in it—the fellows who did that job might live on Easy Street the rest of their lives.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "english": "The Adventures of Sally",
          "ref": "1921 October 8 – December 31, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XIV, in Mostly Sally [The Adventures of Sally], 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 23 March 1923, →OCLC, section II, page 256:",
          "text": "Honestly, Sally, it's the chance of a lifetime. It would put you right on easy street. Isn't there really any way you could get your money out of this other thing and take on this deal?",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1972 October, Carole King (lyrics and music), “Bitter with the Sweet”, in Rhymes & Reasons:",
          "text": "Sometimes I'm tired and I wonder / What's so all-fired important / About being someplace at some time / Oh, but I don't really mind / 'Cause I could be on Easy Street",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1977, “Easy Street”, in Martin Charnin (lyrics), Charles Strouse (music), Annie (soundtrack):",
          "text": "Easy street, easy street / Where the rich folks play (yeah, yeah, yeah) / Move them feet to easy street / When you get there, stay",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Chiefly preceded by on: a carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as as a result of becoming wealthy."
      ],
      "id": "en-easy_street-en-noun-UHDrsVve",
      "links": [
        [
          "on",
          "on#Preposition"
        ],
        [
          "carefree",
          "carefree"
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          "lifestyle",
          "lifestyle"
        ],
        [
          "situation",
          "situation"
        ],
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          "as a result of",
          "as a result of"
        ],
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          "becoming",
          "become"
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          "wealthy",
          "wealthy"
        ]
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        "(originally US, idiomatic, informal) Chiefly preceded by on: a carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as as a result of becoming wealthy."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "have it made"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "Easy Street"
        }
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        "informal",
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      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
          "tags": [
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "kissanpäivät"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
          "word": "helppo elämä"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
          "word": "él, mint hal a vízben"
        },
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          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "lésna živéačka",
          "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "ле́сна живе́ачка"
        },
        {
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "izóbilstvo",
          "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "изо́билство"
        },
        {
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "blagosóstojba",
          "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "благосо́стојба"
        },
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          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "bógatstvo",
          "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "бо́гатство"
        },
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          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "hawddfyd"
        },
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          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "bywyd braf"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
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      "tags": [
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    },
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      "audio": "En-au-easy street.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/bd/En-au-easy_street.ogg/En-au-easy_street.ogg.mp3",
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    },
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      "ipa": "/ˈizi ˌstɹit/",
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  ],
  "word": "easy street"
}
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      "expansion": "easy (“at ease, comfortable”) + street",
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  "etymology_text": "From easy (“at ease, comfortable”) + street.",
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          "ref": "1813, Financial Year Book of the Daily Commercial News, San Francisco, Calif.: Commercial News Pub. Co., →OCLC, page 55, column 2:",
          "text": "Stocks are light, while packers will be able to get financial aid, which will, so far as that is concerned, place them on \"easy street.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1890 August, Marie L[ouise] Marsh, “[The Sketch Book—Character in Outline] Jimsey’s Mascot”, in Current Literature: A Magazine of Record and Review, volume V, number 2, New York, N.Y.: The Current Literature Publishing Co., →OCLC, page 121, column 2:",
          "text": "Once after this I asked the \"pardners\" if Jimsey's mascot was bringing him luck. / \"Yes, lady,\" said Tom, \"we walks on de shady side of de street now—don't we, Jimsey?\" / \"Yes, we lives on Easy street.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1919, Upton Sinclair, “Jimmie Higgins Puts His Foot in It”, in Jimmie Higgins […], Pasadena, Calif.: Upton Sinclair, →OCLC, section II, page 83:",
          "text": "There was big money in it—the fellows who did that job might live on Easy Street the rest of their lives.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "english": "The Adventures of Sally",
          "ref": "1921 October 8 – December 31, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XIV, in Mostly Sally [The Adventures of Sally], 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 23 March 1923, →OCLC, section II, page 256:",
          "text": "Honestly, Sally, it's the chance of a lifetime. It would put you right on easy street. Isn't there really any way you could get your money out of this other thing and take on this deal?",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1972 October, Carole King (lyrics and music), “Bitter with the Sweet”, in Rhymes & Reasons:",
          "text": "Sometimes I'm tired and I wonder / What's so all-fired important / About being someplace at some time / Oh, but I don't really mind / 'Cause I could be on Easy Street",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1977, “Easy Street”, in Martin Charnin (lyrics), Charles Strouse (music), Annie (soundtrack):",
          "text": "Easy street, easy street / Where the rich folks play (yeah, yeah, yeah) / Move them feet to easy street / When you get there, stay",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Chiefly preceded by on: a carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as as a result of becoming wealthy."
      ],
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          "on",
          "on#Preposition"
        ],
        [
          "carefree",
          "carefree"
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          "lifestyle",
          "lifestyle"
        ],
        [
          "situation",
          "situation"
        ],
        [
          "as a result of",
          "as a result of"
        ],
        [
          "becoming",
          "become"
        ],
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          "wealthy",
          "wealthy"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(originally US, idiomatic, informal) Chiefly preceded by on: a carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as as a result of becoming wealthy."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "informal",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "Easy Street"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "kissanpäivät"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
      "word": "helppo elämä"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
      "word": "él, mint hal a vízben"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "lésna živéačka",
      "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "ле́сна живе́ачка"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "izóbilstvo",
      "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "изо́билство"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "blagosóstojba",
      "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "благосо́стојба"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "bógatstvo",
      "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "бо́гатство"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "hawddfyd"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "(informal) carefree lifestyle or situation, especially as resulting from being wealthy",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "bywyd braf"
    }
  ],
  "word": "easy street"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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