not your father's
Very modern or updated; no longer what an older generation would expect or be used to. With every building now featuring wireless Internet and touch-screen monitors integrated into the desks in each classroom, this is certainly not your father's high school anymore.
be gathered to (one's) fathers
euphemism To die. It's such a shame that Tom has been gathered to his fathers. When is his funeral?
a bit of how's your father
A playful euphemism for sexual activity. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. Jeremy snuck under the bleachers with his girlfriend to have a bit of how's your father but ended up getting caught by the school's principal.
success has many fathers, failure is an orphan
People are quick to associate themselves with successful ventures and distance themselves from failures. A: "All the people who were so excited about this project in the beginning now act like they've never even heard of it." B: "Well, success has many fathers, failure is an orphan."
twinkle in (one's) father's eye
A phrase used to describe the time before one's birth. I never knew my grandparents; they died when I was just a twinkle in my father's eye.
child is father of the man
and child is father to the manProv. People's personalities form when they are children; A person will have the same qualities as an adult that he or she had as a child. (From William Wordsworth's poem, "My Heart Leaps Up.") In Bill's case, the child was father of the man; he never lost his childhood delight in observing nature.
Experience is the father of wisdom,
and Experience is the mother of wisdom.Prov. The more that happens to you, the more you will learn. I never understood why supervisors got so frustrated with me until I became a supervisor and got frustrated with my subordinates. Experience was definitely the mother of wisdom, in my case.
father something on someone
Fig. to regard someone as the author or originator of something. Do not attempt to father that stupid idea on me! We fathered the whole plan on the president. And we learned later she had nothing to do with it.
It is a wise child that knows its own father.
Prov. You can never have certain proof that a certain man is your father. (Implies that the child in question might be illegitimate.) It is a wise child that knows its own father, but Emily is so much like her dad that there's very little uncertainty.
like father, like son
Prov. Fathers and sons resemble each other, and sons tend to do what their fathers did before them. Jill: George's father smoked all the time, and now George is smoking excessively, too. Jane: Like father, like son, eh? I think my son will grow up tall, just like his father. Like father, like son.
old enough to be someone's mother
and old enough to be someone's fatheras old as someone's parents. (Usually a way of saying that a person is too old.) You can't go out with Bill. He's old enough to be your father! He married a woman who is old enough to be his mother.
The wish is father to the thought.
Prov. People sometimes come to believe something that they wish were true. Jane hoped that her boss would resign, and the wish was father to the thought. Soon she had told everyone in the office that she was sure her boss was leaving.