Darby and Joan
Americannoun
noun
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an ideal elderly married couple living in domestic harmony
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a club for elderly people
Etymology
Origin of Darby and Joan
Named after a couple mentioned in an 18th-century song
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We always used to say, "We can always live together when we get older and retire. We'll be like Darby and Joan and have a few tea parties."
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2017
Darby and Joan slept the profound, dreamless sleep of tired childhood; the dwarf was buried in an oblivion which was as much the stupor of weakness as the blissfulness of sleep.
From Two Little Travellers A Story for Girls by Frances Browne Arthur
"We will go out after luncheon and make an afternoon of it—like Darby and Joan."
From The Story of Charles Strange Vol. 2 (of 3) A Novel by Mrs. Henry Wood
“Why, what a regular Darby and Joan you two look,” she added, with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
From Renshaw Fanning's Quest A Tale of the High Veldt by Bertram Mitford
Darby and Joan did not desire to disturb either of them.
From Two Little Travellers A Story for Girls by Frances Browne Arthur
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
