guns and roses

Definitions

The glamour of love, war, and adventure, as opposed to mundane reality.

plural, plural-only

Examples

“A whaler's life isn't all guns and roses, however, so Melville and a shipmate jumped ship at the Marquesas Islands.”

“But the story is not all guns and roses. Many of these foreign fighters die⟳ in the combat zone or end⟳ up moving on to fight⟳ in other foreign conflicts. Significant percentages simply cannot endure the training or become⟳ disillusioned once they come⟳ to realize⟳ that the harsh realities of waging a bloody jihad are far less glamorous than they seemed from afar.”

“'You're all guns and roses, mate,' was one off-hand comment⟳ on one of my crime thrillers where romance blossoms between two people trying to stop⟳ terrorists blowing up Heathrow Airport. In my erotic romances, I take⟳ time to discover⟳ the lives of the people involved before the action starts.”

CEFR level