Useful Idioms about Mothers and Parenting in English

Useful Idioms about Mothers and Parenting in English

A face only a mother could love

• Meaning: A very ugly face
• Example: The poor baby has a face only a mother could love.

A mama’s boy

• Meaning: A boy or man who allows his mother to have too much influence on him.
• Example: I thought I loved him until I realized he was a mama’s boy who can’t do anything without his mother’s permission or approval.

A mother hen

• Meaning: A person who looks out for the welfare of others, especially to an overprotective degree
• Example: Jenny can be a bit of a mother hen when we’re out at the bars.

A tiger mother

• Meaning: A strict and demanding mother
• Example: Two new studies do point out that there are costs to tiger mothering.

At one’s mother’s knee

• Meaning: If you learned to do something when you were a young child.
• Example: I learned how to bake at my mother’s knee when I was just a girl.

Be tied to (one’s) mother’s apron strings

• Meaning: An adult make deeply attached and needing his mother. Dating from the era when mothers wore aprons
• Example: Can you make adecision on your own, or are you tied to your mother’s apron strings?

Everyone and his mother

• Meaning: Used to express a large number or a majority of people.
• Example: I’m so jealous, everyone and his mother is going on a vacation this summer except for me.

Expectant mother

• Meaning: A pregnant woman.
• Example: I know the subway’s crowded, but you should really give your seat to the expectant mother standing by the door.