You-can-t-take-it-with-you
you can’t take it with you
note: this proverb was used as the t-tle of a comedy by the twentieth-century american playwrights moss hart and george s. kaufman. you can’t take it with you concerns an unconventional family fiercely opposed to materialistic values.
the place referred to is very remote and the route hard to describe (1930s+)
the problem described is insoluble
enjoy material things while you’re alive, as in go ahead and buy the fancier car; you can’t take it with you. this phrase gained currency as the t-tle of a very popular play (1936) by george s. kaufman and moss hart and of the 1938 film based on it. [ first half of 1800s ]
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- You-can-t-unscramble-an-egg
you can’t unscramble an egg
- You-can-t-win--em-all
you can’t win ’em all success is not inevitable, as in they published your article but not your reb-ttal to the reviewer? well, you can’t win ’em all. [ first half of 1900s ] for a synonym, see win some, lose some
- You-can-t-win
you can’t win also, you just can’t win. whatever one does is wrong or not enough, as in every time i block one of the woodchuck’s holes, i find another; you just can’t win. [ first half of 1900s ] for a synonym, see d-mned if i do, d-mned if i don’t
- You-cannot-serve-god-and-mammon
you cannot serve god and mammon
- You-could-cut-it-with-a-knife
alluding to something very thick, such as muggy air or a heavy accent; also, a very tense atmosphere. for example, the smoke was so thick you could cut it with a knife, or when i walked in they all stopped talking and you could cut the air with a knife. [ ; late 1800s ]