1
general::
Phrase(s): Life is just a bowl of cherries.
Prov. Everything is going well.; Life is carefree. (Often used ironically, as in the second example.) • The real estate salesman tried to convince us that life in the suburbs is just a bowl of cherries. • Jill: Hi, Jane. How are you? Jane: Oh, my alarm clock didn’t go off this morning, and then my car wouldn’t start, and I missed the bus and got to work late, and I just found out my rent’s going up fifty dollars a month. Life is just a bowl of cherries.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
These are happy circumstances; life is wonderful. This phrase is often used ironically, as in My husband is about to get laid off? life is just a bowl of cherries, right? Originating as the title of a song (1931) by Lew Brown (lyrics) and composer Ray Henderson, this term expressed the idea that everything was going very well. However, its ironical use was established by the 1970s. Also see BED OF ROSES.
American Heritage Idioms