Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“I sometimes think I was born to live up to my name. How could I be anything else but what I am having been named Madonna? I would either have ended up a nun or this.”
- Madonna on being named Madonna. (Vanity Fair)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
be as good as what was expected or promised
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
The world is full of promises. Sometimes names are promises. Think of the Great Wall of China or the Grand Canyon. They sure better be great and grand with names like that. Luckily, they live up to their names.
To live up to something is to deliver on a promise or expectation. If a son disappoints his father, you could say that he didn’t live up to his father’s hopes.
American pop singer Madonna has an unusually religious name. In order to live up to it, she would have to be a nun…or the exact opposite of one. If you’ve ever seen a Madonna video, you know which she chose.
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“Walter lives up to all the bad things I’d heard about him and more.”
“The band is getting so much attention that it will be hard for them to live up to everyone’s expectations.”