"nice work if you can get it" meaning in English

See nice work if you can get it in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Phrase

Head templates: {{head|en|phrase}} nice work if you can get it
  1. Used to describe a job that is unusually desirable, but not easy to get.
    Sense id: en-nice_work_if_you_can_get_it-en-phrase-a~QFvqdi Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry
{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "phrase"
      },
      "expansion": "nice work if you can get it",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1959, Frank Gill Slaughter, Trio: Three Complete Novels, page 44:",
          "text": "\"Nice work if you can get it to do,\" returned Tim. \"Usually those jobs have so many applicants that they don't pay enough to feed a flea.”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1963, Norman D. Ford, How to Travel and Get Paid for it, page 6:",
          "text": "Don't let anyone tell you that you must work overseas to travel —it's nice work if you can get it but if you can't, you can travel just as far if you plan and go about it in the right way.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1998, Atticus Falcon, Planet Law School, page 278:",
          "text": "One year after he got out of law school, he was chosen to head the Family Law Section of the State Bar— at the ripe old age of 26. —Nice work, if you can get it ... and maybe you can get it, if you're alert (and work your butt off).",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to describe a job that is unusually desirable, but not easy to get."
      ],
      "id": "en-nice_work_if_you_can_get_it-en-phrase-a~QFvqdi"
    }
  ],
  "word": "nice work if you can get it"
}
{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "phrase"
      },
      "expansion": "nice work if you can get it",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English phrases",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Pages with 1 entry"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1959, Frank Gill Slaughter, Trio: Three Complete Novels, page 44:",
          "text": "\"Nice work if you can get it to do,\" returned Tim. \"Usually those jobs have so many applicants that they don't pay enough to feed a flea.”",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1963, Norman D. Ford, How to Travel and Get Paid for it, page 6:",
          "text": "Don't let anyone tell you that you must work overseas to travel —it's nice work if you can get it but if you can't, you can travel just as far if you plan and go about it in the right way.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1998, Atticus Falcon, Planet Law School, page 278:",
          "text": "One year after he got out of law school, he was chosen to head the Family Law Section of the State Bar— at the ripe old age of 26. —Nice work, if you can get it ... and maybe you can get it, if you're alert (and work your butt off).",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to describe a job that is unusually desirable, but not easy to get."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "nice work if you can get it"
}

Download raw JSONL data for nice work if you can get it meaning in English (1.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-09-22 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-09-20 using wiktextract (af5c55c and 66545a6). 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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