[WalterBright]

> "come back to life" are plainly uncharitable phraseology

There are many meanings to the phrase "come back to life". For example, my car "coughs into life" when I start it, and "comes alive" when I floor it, though nobody would infer it is actually alive. If someone "steps lively" that doesn't mean they are otherwise dead. A "live wire" isn't expected to be living, and also a person can be called a "live wire" meaning they're very engaging.

To "come back to life" in this context appears to mean simply that the person becomes animated and responsive to his surroundings. It's a phrase that would never occur to me to be offended by.