mother wit

American  

[muhth-er wit] / ˈmʌð ər ˌwɪt /

noun

1. natural or practical intelligence, wit, or sense.

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mother wit British  

noun

1. native practical intelligence; common sense

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Etymology

Origin of mother wit

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English moderis wytte

Example Sentences

Gault eventually got there, reclaiming a bit of her mom's "mother wit."

From Salon • May 16, 2021

She was using her mother wit for a bargain, and my job was to notice it.

From Slate • May 9, 2019

He was in there, whispering to people he knew well – Dick Schaap, Howard Cosell, Dave Anderson, Bingham — the mother wit, the intelligence that no I.Q. test could ever measure.

From New York Times • Jun. 4, 2016

But a wee bit of mother wit covers a multitude of crimes; a boyish charm can sell anything; vitality overwhelms prim moral compunctions.

From Time Magazine Archive

She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou