easy come, easy go

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌiːzi ˈkʌm ˌiːzi ˈɡoʊ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Phrase

easy come, easy go

1. (idiomatic) Easily won and easily lost (usually said when resigned to a loss; something that comes in the same way, goes in the same way)

   They took $200 with them into the casino, and regarded their winnings as easy come, easy go.

   • 1967, Bob Gaudio, Peggy Farina (lyrics and music), “Beggin'”, performed by The Four Seasons:

     Ridin' high when I was king / Played it hard and fast cause I had everything / Walked away, wonderin' then / But easy come and easy go and it would end

   • 1975, Freddie Mercury (lyrics and music), “Bohemian Rhapsody”, performed by Queen:

     I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy / Because I'm easy come, easy go / Little high, little low

Translations

easily won and easily lost; usually said when resigned to a loss

• Czech: lehce nabyl, lehce pozbyl (cs)
• Danish: hvad der kommer let, går let
• Estonian: kergelt tulnud, kergelt läinud
• Finnish: mikä laulaen tulee, se viheltäen menee (literally “that which comes singing, goes whistling”)
• Georgian: ქარის მოტანილს ქარივე წაიღებსო (karis moṭanils karive c̣aiɣebso)
• German: wie gewonnen, so zerronnen (de)
• Greek: ανεμομαζώματα διαβολοσκορπίσματα (el) (anemomazómata diavoloskorpísmata)
• Hebrew: בא בקלות, הולך בקלות (ba beqalút, holéch beqalút)
• Hungarian: könnyen jött, könnyen ment
• Ilocano: ti nalaka ti pannakasapulna, nalaka met ti pannakapukawna
• Irish: an rud a fhaightear go bog caitear go bog é
• Japanese: 悪銭身に付かず (ja)
• Malay:

  Jawi: سنڠ داڤت, سنڠ هابيس

  Rumi: senang dapat, senang habis

• Polish: łatwo przyszło, łatwo poszło
• Portuguese: assim como vem, vai
• Romanian: cum a venit, așa a plecat
• Russian: как на́жито, так и про́жито (kak nážito, tak i próžito), легко́ пришло́, легко́ ушло́ (lexkó prišló, lexkó ušló)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: како дошло тако отишло

  Roman: kako došlo tako otišlo

• Slovene: vse veselje hitro mine, vsaka sreča hitro zgine, sreča je opoteča
• Spanish: lo que el agua trae, el agua lleva
• Swedish: lätt fånget, lätt förgånget
• Tagalog: ang kita sa bula, sa bula rin mawawala
• Turkish: haydan gelen huya gider

See also

• here today, gone tomorrow
• swings and roundabouts