Happy-go-lucky

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Happy \Hap"py\ (h[a^]p"p[y^]), a. [Compar. {Happier}
     (-p[i^]*[~e]r); superl. {Happiest}.] [From {Hap} chance.]
     1. Favored by hap, luck, or fortune; lucky; fortunate;
        successful; prosperous; satisfying desire; as, a happy
        expedient; a happy effort; a happy venture; a happy omen.
        [1913 Webster]


  
              Chymists have been more happy in finding experiments
              than the causes of them.              --Boyle.
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     2. Experiencing the effect of favorable fortune; having the
        feeling arising from the consciousness of well-being or of
        enjoyment; enjoying good of any kind, as peace,
        tranquillity, comfort; contented; joyous; as, happy hours,
        happy thoughts.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord. --Ps.
                                                    cxliv. 15.
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              The learned is happy Nature to explore,
              The fool is happy that he knows no more. --Pope.
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     3. Dexterous; ready; apt; felicitous.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              One gentleman is happy at a reply, another excels in
              a in a rejoinder.                     --Swift.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Happy family}, a collection of animals of different and
        hostile propensities living peaceably together in one
        cage. Used ironically of conventional alliances of persons
        who are in fact mutually repugnant.
  
     {Happy-go-lucky}, trusting to hap or luck; improvident;
        easy-going. "Happy-go-lucky carelessness." --W. Black.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  happy-go-lucky
       adj : cheerfully irresponsible; "carefree with his money";
             "freewheeling urban youths"; "had a harum-scarum youth"
             [syn: {carefree}, {devil-may-care}, {freewheeling}, {harum-scarum},
              {slaphappy}]