for the life of one

English

Prepositional phrase

for the life of one

1. (colloquial, only with a negative) Even if one's (own) life depended on it; at all.

   Synonyms: for toffee, for sour apples, for beans, to save one's life

   For the life of me, I can't remember the name of that song.

   Not for the life of him could he remember it.

   They were unable, for the life of them, to remember.

   • 2020 April 9, Sam Jones, “Spanish writer spills beans on UK's saucy secrets”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     […] Peyró can’t for the life of him fathom why “it’s had less success abroad than Ringo Starr’s solo career”.

Translations

if my life depended on it

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無論如何／无论如何 (zh) (wúlùnrúhé), 怎麼也／怎么也 (zěnme yě)

• Finnish: kuolemakseen
• French: même si sa vie en dépendait
• German: im Leben
• Irish: beo (ga)
• Polish: za Boga, za skarby świata (pl)
• Russian: хоть убе́й (xotʹ ubéj)
• Scottish Gaelic: ged a mharbhadh tu mi, chan urrainn do

See also

• like one's life depended on it