four score and ten

English

Etymology

From the Bible, in which King David is supposed to have lived three score and ten (70) years.

Noun

four score and ten

1. A human lifespan.
   • 2010, Jay Cassell, The Best Hunting Stories Ever Told, page 540:

     Our four score and ten are a mere twelve or thirteen years to a dog.

   • 2014, Ernest Dichter, Getting Motivated, page ix:

     I have completed my four-score-and-ten, but physical age seems to be less important than life insurance statistics would indicate.

   • 2019, Kate Atkinson, Big Sky, →ISBN, page 300:

     when I was in the Army there were some guys who said they'd rather die in combat— go down fighting— than live out their four score and ten.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see four,‎ score,‎ ten. 90.