for the life of me
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
True as I am alive. Even if my life depended on it. A strong assevera- tion, originally "under pain of losing my life.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “for the life of me” mean?
True as I am alive. Even if my life depended on it. A strong assevera- tion, originally "under pain of losing my life.
Is “for the life of me” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.