mother of

Idioms  

1. The best or greatest of a type, as in That was the mother of all tennis matches. This expression originated during the Gulf War as a translation of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's term umm al-ma'arik, for “major battle”; the Arabic “mother of” is a figure of speech for “major” or “best.” It was quickly adopted and applied to just about any person, event, or activity. [Slang; late 1980s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mother of

The mother of PC Andrew Harper also said she was "devastated" to learn two men jailed after her son was killed will still be eligible for early release.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

One question was on her mind: How could the mother of morning TV’s most-watched woman disappear?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Guthrie, the mother of US news presenter Savannah Guthrie, was 84 when she went missing from her Arizona home in January.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

Federal and local law enforcement have worked for nearly six months to find Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, without success.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

And these two very old people are the father and mother of Mrs. Bucket.

From "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl