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

1. to live a carefree life with very little material means; to live on bread and kisses

   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.