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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]


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.

The 28-year-old mother of one said she needed to see a doctor for more tests.

From Barron's

India and Europe hope to strike the "mother of all deals" when EU chiefs meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi next week, as the two economic behemoths seek to forge closer ties.

From Barron's

Securing a pact described by India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal as "the mother of all deals", would be a major win for Brussels and New Delhi as both seek to open up new markets in the face of US tariffs and Chinese export controls.

From Barron's

Some relatives - including the mother of the athlete - told the BBC that detainees have since been transferred to prisons now nominally under government control.

From BBC

His visit suggests the administration has no desire to back down, something Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz called for after a 37-year-old mother of three was killed by an ICE agent on Jan. 7.

From The Wall Street Journal