Defer to the Older Person 🚪🧓
Definition:
Deferring to the older person historically involves inviting an older individual to pass through a doorway first. Once a sign of respect and humility, it has evolved into something often used ironically. This phrase combines principles of etiquette with a touch of sarcasm when the younger feels the elder’s prowess is questionable.
Synonyms:
- Letting someone go first
- Priority for seniors
- Age before beauty
Antonyms:
- Rudeness
- Impatience
- Age-disrespect
Quotes and Proverbs:
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” - Mark Twain
“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.” - George Bernard Shaw
Related Phrases:
- “After you, Alphonse.”
- “No, after you, Gaston.”
- “Age before beauty.”
Literature, Books, and Movies:
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Books:
- Etiquette by Emily Post
- How To Be a Gentleman by John Bridges
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Movies:
- Driving Miss Daisy - depicting respect across generational divides.
- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - a comedic take on aging.
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Poetry:
- To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet - implicitly mentions the value of virtuous older age.
-
Songs:
- “Forever Young” by Bob Dylan.
Fun Fact:
The phrase “After you, Alphonse; No, after you, Gaston” originated from a comic strip called Alphonse and Gaston by Frederick Burr Opper. It lampooned characters performing elaborate gestures of politeness, to hilarious excess.
Dear Word Wanderer,
May this guide inspire you to explore language with curiosity and joy. Here’s to finding wisdom and wit in the most unexpected places!
Yours in words,
A. Ephraim Jest
