live by one's wits

wit

L l

Definitions of live by one's wits words

noun live by one's wits the keen perception and cleverly apt expression of those connections between ideas that awaken amusement and pleasure. Synonyms: drollery, facetiousness, waggishness, repartee. 1
noun live by one's wits speech or writing showing such perception and expression. Synonyms: banter, joking, witticism, quip, raillery, badinage, persiflage; bon mot. 1
noun live by one's wits a person having or noted for such perception and expression. Synonyms: wag, jester, epigrammatist, satirist. 1
noun live by one's wits understanding, intelligence, or sagacity; astuteness. Synonyms: wisdom, sense, mind. 1
noun live by one's wits Usually, wits. powers of intelligent observation, keen perception, ingenious contrivance, or the like; mental acuity, composure, and resourcefulness: using one's wits to get ahead. Synonyms: cleverness, cunning, wisdom, insight, perspicacity, sacaciousness, acumen. mental faculties; senses: to lose one's wits; frightened out of one's wits. Synonyms: mind, sanity; brains, marbles. 1
idioms live by one's wits at one's wit's end, at the end of one's ideas or mental resources; perplexed: My two-year-old won't eat anything but pizza, and I'm at my wit's end. 1

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; Middle English, Old English: mind, thought; cognate with German Witz, Old Norse vit; akin to wit2

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 96% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

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