A New Lease of Life Is a New Lease on Life in America
A lease is a contract to use property for a period. The idiom about a new lease of life changes its preposition across the Atlantic.
A lease is a contract granting the use of property for a fixed period in return for payment. The idiom differs by country: Britain says *a new lease of life*, America *a new lease on life*, and both mean renewed energy or an extended existence. The image is of a tenancy being renewed. The word comes from Old French *lesser*, to let go, from Latin *laxare*, to loosen — the same root as *relax* and *lax*.
- A property contract. *A ten-year lease.*
- To rent out. *Lease the building.*
- Lessor — the one granting it. *The lessor.*
- Lessee — the one taking it. *The lessee.*
- New lease of life — renewed vigour. *A new lease of life.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | lease | A short lease. |
| Plural | leases | Two leases. |
| Verb | lease | Lease it out. |
| Noun | lessor | The lessor. |
| Noun | lessee | The lessee. |
- The lease runs for five years.Contract.
- The repairs gave the car a new lease of life.British idiom.
- Americans say a new lease on life.The variant.
Leasehold and freehold
- Freehold — you own the property and the land outright
- Leasehold — you own the right to occupy for a fixed term
- Ground rent — often payable by a leaseholder to the freeholder
- Short leases can be hard to mortgage or sell
- Common in England and Wales for flats, far less so in Scotland
Anglo-French *lesser*, to let or lease, from Latin *laxare*, to loosen, from *laxus*, loose.
Is it a new lease of life or on life?
Of life is British, on life American. Both are correct in their own varieties.
What is the difference between leasehold and freehold?
Freehold means outright ownership. Leasehold means owning the right to occupy for a fixed number of years.