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live to tell the tale

idiom
Meaning

To survive some difficulty, illness, etc.


Examples
SIMPLE

The storm was scary, but we lived to tell the tale.

CONTEXTUAL

After the long hike through the desert without enough water, we were exhausted but lived to tell the tale.

COMPLEX

Though the company faced a near-total collapse during the financial crisis, the management team navigated the turmoil and lived to tell the tale.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    cautionary tale

    A story, originally told in folklore, to warn its audience of a certain danger.

  2. 02

    don't tell me

    Used to introduce a guess at a fact or situation, as if forestalling the other speaker's utterance.

  3. 03

    I can tell you

    Emphasises the truth of a statement.

  4. 04

    I tell a lie

    I am mistaken; I thought that what I said (or wrote) was true, but I have just realised that it is not.

  5. 05

    I tell you

    Synonym of I can tell you.

  6. 06

    I'll tell you

    Synonym of I can tell you.

  7. 07

    kiss and tell

    To betray a confidence by disclosing private information, especially of a sexual nature.

  8. 08

    let me tell you

    Synonym of I can tell you.

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