longevity pays, attribute

Quote

"A man ninety years old was asked to what he attributed his longevity. 'I reckon,' he said, with a twinkle in his eye, 'it's because most nights I went to bed and slept when I should have sat up and worried.'"



Left, Mr. Carlin with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show in 2004. Despite the longevity of his career and his problematic personal life, Mr. Carlin remained one of the most original and productive comedians in show business.


Despite its popularity online, Merriam Webster said it would only make it into the regular dictionary if its popularity lasts. If its longevity becomes proven it could join other net-inspired terms such as the verb "to google", "blog" and NSFW.

Definition

longevity Hide phonetics
noun [U] FORMAL
living for a long time:
To what do you attribute your longevity?

━━ n. 長寿, 長命.
longevity pay　勤続年数加俸. Salary or wages based on seniority or length of service with an organization. The greater the length of service, the greater the longevity pay. It may also be used as a bonus for remaining on a job beyond a certain period.

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attribute sth to sb/sth (RESULT) phrasal verb
to say or think that something is the result or work of something or someone else:
The doctors have attributed the cause of the illness to an unknown virus.
To what do you attribute this delay?
Most experts have attributed the drawing to Michelangelo.

attributable Show phonetics
adjective [after verb]
caused by:
Do you think that these higher-than-average temperatures are attributable to global warming?

attribution Show phonetics
noun [U]
The usual attribution of the work to Leonardo is now disputed by several experts.

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attribute sth to sb (QUALITY) phrasal verb
to think that someone or something has a particular quality or feature:
I wouldn't dream of attributing such a lack of judgment to you.