To be alive and kicking means to continue to be active, healthy, and successful, especially after a period of difficulty, illness, or despite advancing age. It implies not just basic survival, but active vitality and energy.
While some reference guides dismiss the phrase as a repetitive cliché, saying someone is merely “alive” fails to capture the active energy conveyed by alive and kicking (or its closely related variation, alive and well).
Origin of “Alive and Kicking”
The idiom originated in 18th- and 19th-century Britain as street slang used by fishmongers to advertise live seafood. Sellers would shout to shoppers that their fish were “alive and kicking” (or flapping) to prove they had just been caught and were as fresh as possible.
By the mid-1800s, the phrase transitioned into popular figurative usage, applied to people, businesses, or ideas that were thriving despite rumors of their demise.
“Alive and Kicking” in Movies & Pop Culture
In film and television, characters use the phrase to triumphantly announce their return or reassure loved ones after a dangerous ordeal:
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Context: Used to signal that a companion thought to be dead is actually unharmed and ready to fight. - Simple Minds – “Alive and Kicking” (1985)
Context: The famous hit song uses the phrase as an uplifting anthem about resilience and emotional vitality.
Sentence Examples
“Despite rumors that the startup was going under, they just launched a major new product line and are very much alive and kicking.”
“My grandfather had a stroke at eighty-five, but you can’t kill that old buzzard. He’s back out in his garden, alive and kicking.”
“Analog vinyl records were declared dead decades ago, but thanks to music collectors, the industry is alive and kicking today.”