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Henry74 Posted 13 years ago
Vocabulary

Larger than life

Hello,

Does the expression "larger than life" literally refer to the dimension of the reproduction of something – meaning that the copy is larger than the size of the original?

Thank you for your help
H.
  

Top answer

Henry74 Does the expression "larger than life" literally refer to the dimension of the reproduction of something – meaning that the copy is larger than the size of the original? I have never heard that expression used that way. If someone is larger than life, he has a very strong personality.

— CalifJim

  • Henry74 Does the expression "larger than life" literally refer to the dimension of the reproduction of something – meaning that the copy is larger than the size of the original?
  • I have never heard that expression used that way.
  • If someone is larger than life, he has a very strong personality.
  • He makes a big impression on others.
  • CJ
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4 Answers
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Henry74Does the expression "larger than life" literally refer to the dimension of the reproduction of something – meaning that the copy is larger than the size of the original?
I have never heard that expression used that way.

If someone is larger than life, he has a very strong personality. He makes a big impression on others.

CJ
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Thank you Jim.

I remember reading somewhere the word "life" used as something akin to "real size", or "natural dimensions", which lead me to wonder whether the expression in question might also have a literal meaning. I might have misunderstood the use of the word "life" in the first place, though. Unfortunately I didn't take a note of the exact passage.

H.
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Henry74might also have a literal meaning
That might be reasonable when speaking of a statue, but if my memory serves me right, I haven't heard it literally in any other situation. Maybe other forum members will weigh in.

CJ
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The expression "larger than life" is only used figuratively. Maybe you're thinking of the phrase "larger than lifesize," which is used only literally, meaning a reproduction is larger than the real thing, for example, in an advertisement the picture of the item is often made bigger than it really is, for effect, with a footnote that says: "The ring is shown larger than lifesize."
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