"as large as life" means: A British English simile meaning actually present and real — used to express surprise or emphasis that someone or something genuinely appear.... This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
as large as life
A British English simile meaning actually present and real — used to express surprise or emphasis that someone or something genuinely appeared in person.
Definitions
A British English simile meaning actually present and real — used to express surprise or emphasis that someone or something genuinely appeared in person. Often used in the phrasing there he was, as large as life. Can also be extended to as large as life and twice as natural for added emphasis.
I turned around and there was my old teacher, as large as life, standing in the supermarket queue.
"as large as life" means: A British English simile meaning actually present and real — used to express surprise or emphasis that someone or something genuinely appear.... This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"as large as life" means: A British English simile meaning actually present and real — used to express surprise or emphasis that someone or something genuinely appear.... Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (British) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in
Comments
(UK, simile) Actually present.
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "as large as life".
🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "as large as life" (A)
Browse all slang words starting with A.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- large it63%
(slang, UK) To engage in or seek pleasurable activities with great enthusiasm.
- big as bull-beef62%
An old-fashioned British slang simile meaning extremely large or impressively big — as massive and solid as a bull. The comparison to bull beef (the meat of a bull, considered especially large and substantial) makes the size claim vivid and physical. While largely archaic today, it survives in historical literature and as a colorful example of the earthy, livestock-inflected comparisons common in pre-industrial British speech.
- go large62%
(slang) To enjoy oneself to the maximum.
- give it large61%
(UK, slang) To boast or impress.