live over the brush
To cohabit without being married.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“They live over the brush in a small apartment.”
“Although they have been together for ten years, they prefer to live over the brush rather than get married.”
“Despite the traditional expectations of their families, the couple chose to live over the brush, prioritizing their personal commitment over a formal wedding ceremony.”
disputed origin
The expression is probably derived from the broomstick wedding, in which the broomstick functions as a linguistic marker for the ersatz or the sham. A popular but unproven story maintains that the phrase refers to an early British or Romani wedding practice where a couple attained a union outside the Church by leaping over a broom or brush.
While the image of the leaping couple remains a staple of folk histories, no evidence exists for such a ceremony. The brush appears to be a symbolic boundary for those who, for reasons of convenience or social exclusion, preferred to conduct their domestic arrangements without the intervention of the clergy.
- 01
broad brush
A style or approach that deals with something in very general, sweeping terms, without attention to fine details or subtle nuances.
- 02
brush aside
To disregard, dismiss or ignore something, as unimportant.
- 03
brush by
To walk past another person, touching them slightly, normally by accident, and ignoring them.
- 04
brush down
To straighten up one's clothes and to tidy up one's appearance.
- 05
brush off
To disregard (something), to dismiss or ignore (someone), as unimportant.
- 06
brush up
To review; to improve an existing but rusty or underdeveloped skill.
- 07
die the way one lived
To die because of or after doing something characteristic of oneself, especially something that one enjoyed doing.
- 08
live a lie
To conceal something about oneself, without the knowledge of which others cannot know one's true character or perspective.
Last updated August 10, 2026