Origins of Expressions

  Big Brother is Watching Watch this on YouTube here - Family Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Big Brother is Watching means that someone is watching you, usually the government; they are watching everything you do. Spying on you.  “Be careful; big brother is watching.” Origin: The term Big Brother is watching you started as a scare tactic used in George Orwell's novel "1984." Published in 1949. The book goes over an oppressive government of the future, as Orwell imagined it, made up of a figure called Big Brother. Big Brother is the government spy service, and big brother is used to intimidate the citizens. "Big Brother is watching" was a line of propaganda, the idea being that you have to do what the government wants because, if you don't, they will KNOW. Everybody is being spied on. Example: Today we still use the term Big Brother is watching. In today’s world, the practical application of Big Brother is watching you is in the form of Mobile Phones, digit...

  Mother's Boy Watch this on YouTube here - Family Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Mother’s Boy means a usually polite or timid boy or man who is extremely or excessively close to and attentive to his mother; also is called a mama’s boy or a mummy’s boy based on what country you are from. Origin: Mother's boy is a slang term for a man seen as having an unhealthy dependence on his  mother  at an age at which he is expected to be self-reliant. This sexist expression has survived despite its harsh tone. The first written record of Mothers boy was    "It ain't nothin' but conceit... that makes them mother's boys.” Another similar saying is “Daddy’s Girl,” when a girl acts like and shadows the father. Example: Today we still used mother’s boy or one of the variations to express that a boy is too dependent on his mother. An example sentence is: Jessica dumped Tom because he was such a...

  Like Father, Like Son Watch this on YouTube here - Family Video - YouTube Video Meaning: Like Father, Like Son means that someone resembles their parents in some way, either in appearance or because of their behavior. Origin: It is common for similarities to exist between children and their parents. not just in terms of how they look, but also in the way they behave. One reason this is because children inherit genes and traits from their parents, these create similar looks between parent and child. However, there’s another factor at play. As a child grows up, they are influenced by what they see their parents do and say. So, a parent’s words and actions can affect them too. The end result is that once a child reaches adulthood, the way they look and act may be similar to their parents, “like father, like son!” There has been a long history of comparing children to their parents throughout history.  This ancient proverb has been in many languages, in slightly variations since...