Mother Idioms
Maria's mom played basketball in college, and Maria is the best player on the girls' basketball team this year. Like mother, like daughter!
Like mother, like daughter
Meaning: Like mother, like daughter means that children often have the same traits as their parents. (Not surprisingly, a similar well-known idiom is "Like father, like son.")
I can't wait to go to that amusement park because it has the mother of all roller coasters!
The mother of all (something)
Meaning: The mother of all (something) describes a striking, extreme, or extraordinary example or instance of something. Another example: My PE final in Mr. Smith's class was the mother of all workouts!
Mother's Day in the United States always falls on...
a) the second Saturday in May.
b) the second Sunday in May.
c) the last Sunday in May.
d) the third Saturday in May.
Answer: b) Mother's Day in the United States always falls on the second Sunday in May.
Mother's Day began as a movement to foster good relations between mothers whose sons had fought on different sides of a war. Which war was it?
a) The Mexican-American War
b) The Vietnam War
c) The American Civil War
d) World War II
Answer: c) The American Civil War. A woman named Ann Jarvis began a celebration to help bring reconciliation and healing to mothers and their families who had been on different sides during the war.
How likely is it that a woman will give birth to multiple babies at one time?
a) 3%
b) 5%
c) Less than 1%
d) 15%
Answer: a) Just over 3% (or 3 in 100). About 97% of these multiple births are twins.
I love comic books, so I really hit the mother lode when my uncle gave me his old collection.
The mother lode
Meaning: In mining, the mother lode is the main source of a mineral in a given area. So, it also means an abundance of something.
Daily practice is mother’s milk to any successful musician.
Mother’s milk
Meaning: Mother’s milk is something necessary and important.
True or False?
Mother's Day is the second-busiest day of the year for restaurants in the USA, after Valentine's Day.
Answer: False. Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year for restaurants in the USA.
True or False?
The original name of Mother's Day was "Mothers' Friendship Day."
Answer: True. Ann Jarvis began the celebration known as "Mothers' Friendship Day." After her death, Jarvis' daughter changed the name of the holiday to honor all mothers.
According to historical records, what is the highest number of children one woman has given birth to in total?
a) 101 children
b) 22 children
c) 69 children
d) 44 children
Answer: c) Mrs. Feodor Vassilyev of Russia gave birth to 69 children between 1725 and 1765.
Julia is a bit of a mother hen. She's always making sure her friends get their homework done on time.
Mother hen
Meaning: A mother hen is someone who looks out for the welfare of others, especially to an overprotective degree.
I didn't understand how important it is to keep up with assigned reading until I really struggled in my English class this year. Experience is really the mother of wisdom.
Experience is the mother of wisdom.
Meaning: Experience is the mother of wisdom means that the best way to learn something is by experiencing it.
In which month are the most babies born in the USA?
a) September
b) June
c) January
d) August
Answer: d) August is the month when the most babies are born in the USA.
What year was the first Mother’s Day celebrated in the USA?
a) 1908
b) 1776
c) 1809
d) 1972
Answer: a) The first Mother's Day was celebrated in 1908.
How much did the heaviest human baby ever born weigh?
a) 22 pounds, 8 ounces
b) 12 pounds, 6 ounces
c) 50 pounds
d) 15 pounds, 10 ounces
a) The heaviest human baby was born to Mrs. Carmelina Fedele in Aversa, Italy in 1955. Her son weighed 22 pounds, 8 ounces.
My dog is smart and affectionate, but he has a face only a mother could love.
To have a face only a mother could love
Meaning: To have a face only a mother could love means to have an ugly face.
John's mom is a total tiger mother. He's a high achiever, but his mom really stresses him out.
Tiger mother or Tiger mom
Meaning: A Tiger mom is a strict and demanding mother, especially one who insists that her children earn high grades and also succeed in extracurricular activities.
How much was spent celebrating Mother's Day in the USA in 2022?
a) 31 billion dollars
b) 31 million dollars
c) 13 billion dollars
d) 1.3 billion dollars
Answer: a) Approximately 31 billion dollars was spent on Mother’s Day in 2022.
Which US president made Mother's Day an official national holiday?
a) Abraham Lincoln
b) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
c) Woodrow Wilson
d) George Washington
Answer: c) Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother's Day an official holiday in 1914.
Which U.S. State is called the “Mother of Presidents” because eight presidents have been born there?
a) New York
b) California
c) Pennsylvania
d) Virginia
Answer: d) Virginia is the birthplace of US presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, Woodrow Wilson
Stop cursing around those little kids! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?
Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?
Meaning: Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? can be said to someone who uses a lot of swear words or other inappropriate language.
Darrell and I have been best friends since preschool. He's basically my brother from another mother.
Brother from another mother
A brother from another mother is a male friend with whom one has a very strong bond and emotional connection.
Approximately how many countries officially celebrate Mother’s Day?
a) 15
b) 35
c) 50
d) Only the USA officially celebrates it.
Answer: c) Over 50 countries celebrate Mother's Day, although not all celebrate it on the same day.
True or False: The daughter of Ann Jarvis, the woman who started Mother's Day, eventually disliked Mother's Day and criticized the celebration of it.
Answer: True. Jarvis' daughter hated how commercialized Mother’s Day became and felt that the emphasis on spending money took away from the real purpose of the holiday.
Which famous scientist is called the Mother of Modern Physics?
a) Marie Curie
b) Ada Lovelace
c) Rosalind Franklin
d) Sally Ride
Answer: a) Marie Curie (1867-1934) is known as the Mother of Modern Physics. Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields (Chemistry and Physics).