footloose and fancy-free



footloose and fancy-free

Fig. without long-term responsibilities or commitments. All the rest of them have wives, but John is footloose and fancy-free. Mary never stays long in any job. She likes being footloose and fancy-free.
See also: and, footloose

footloose and fancy-free

Having no attachments, especially romantic ones, and free to do as one pleases. For example, When I was in my twenties, footloose and fancy-free, I would travel at the drop of a hat . Both of these words have long been used separately; their pairing dates only from the 1900s.
See also: and, footloose

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Cyrillesee-REELFrench
Dervla-Irish
LiisuLEE:-sooEstonian
Herschel['hɜ:ʃəl]
Lia (2)LEE-ah (Italian)Italian, Dutch
HelmaHEL-mahGerman, Dutch