vivre d'amour et d'eau fraiche
See also: vivre d'amour et d'eau fraîche
French
Alternative forms
- vivre d'amour et d'eau fraîche (pre-1990 spelling)
Etymology
Literally, “to live on love and fresh water”.
Verb
vivre d'amour et d'eau fraiche
- to live a carefree life with very little material means
- On ne peut pas vivre d’amour et d’eau fraiche.
- You can't live off love and water alone. (The implication is that you need to work to earn a living.)
- Sommes-nous revenus au temps où l'artiste était tenu de vivre d'amour et d'eau fraîche ? À l'évidence oui !
- Have we returned to the times in which an artist had to live off love and water alone? Apparently so!
Usage notes
- The expression emphasizes the unsustainability of the lifestyle. It is often used in the negative to chide children.