"On a Lark" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms
Channel: Superduper English Idioms
Date: 2021-04-13

0:00 - How to Say, “On a lark…”
0:37 - Examples of “On a lark…”
1:28 - Meaning of “On a lark…”
1:48 - Origin of “On a lark…”
3:09 - More Examples of “On a lark…”
3:59 - Conclusion

“On a lark…”

When someone says that they’re doing something “on a lark”, it means that they’re doing it impulsively, randomly, without thinking about it, just because they feel like it suddenly.

The idioms, “on a lark” or “for a lark”, connote, imply, suggest that the thing being pursued is fun, amusing, playful, joyful.

“On a lark, we decided to take a road trip to Toronto, so here we are!” you might say to your friend, surprised that you have shown up at their house.

Maybe a park ranger finds you and your friends out in the middle of nowhere, lost and hungry, “Thank you for coming to find us, we decided to go hiking on a lark and weren’t prepared at all.”

“I bought this on a lark and I’ve been having fun with it ever since!” you might be telling your friend how you impulsively bought a $1,000 camera.

As you can tell, if you do something “on a lark” or “for a lark”, it’s usually something for pleasure, enjoyment, merrymaking that is done “on a whim”, on an impulse, spontaneously.

It’s not too clear where the idiom, “on a lark”, originates, but it is said to come from a northern English dialect where “lake” or “laik” meant to play, which in turn finds its roots in the Old Norse word, “leika”.

Unfortunately, the idiom doesn’t have anything to do with the bird known as the lark, though the playful and melodious bird would make a perfectly reasonable origin to, “on a lark”.

In Taiwan, if you were to do something on a lark, they’d say that “blood rushed to your heart”.

If you’re in Quebec or France, don’t be surprised to hear that people do things “on a headbutt”.

You would hear that you’ve done something “eagerly” or “keenly” if in Turkey.

“I bought this car on a lark, I liked the color but I wasn’t thinking properly!” you might be telling your friend why you chose such an impractical car.

Maybe your boyfriend of six months is proposing to you, “We can’t just get married on a lark! I like you a lot, but now is not the time!”

“I’m impressed at how good you’ve gotten at video making even though you decided to try it on a lark!” your parents might say after watching your latest project.

So, the next time you do something on a whim, impulsively, without thinking about it, don’t forget to say that you did it “on a lark”.

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References: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/5752/etymology-for-the-phrase-on-a-lark