as I live and breathe

== English == === Etymology === Originally a reference to the speaker’s statement being as true as the fact that the speaker is alive (see sense 1). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /æz aɪ lɪv ænd bɹiːð/ (General American) IPA(key): /æz aɪ lɪv ænd bɹið/ === Phrase === as I live and breathe (dated) Used to declare the truth of a statement with emphasis. (dated) Used to express surprise at an experience one is witnessing. Synonyms: as I live, (US) I declare Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see as,‎ I,‎ live,‎ and,‎ breathe. ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === “as I live (and breathe), phrase” under “as, adv. and conj.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2011. “as I live and breathe, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.