come to papa
Used to encourage someone or something to approach, or an event to occur.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I see the pizza delivery, come to papa!”
“You see the winning lottery numbers and shout, come to papa!”
“When the rare book finally appeared at the auction, the collector whispered, come to papa.”
“The fisherman watched the large trout swim toward his bait and whispered, come to papa, as he prepared to pull the line.”
“She reached for the last slice of cake on the counter and said, come to papa, before anyone else could grab it.”
“As the long-awaited promotion finally appeared on his desk, he smiled and thought, come to papa.”
Derived from the Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr, the expression combines the verb *come* with *papa*, a familiar term of address for one’s father. It originated as a literal invitation issued by a father to his child.
The phrase transitioned from the nursery to the gambling hall, where players adopted it as an invocation while throwing dice. In this context, the winning numbers are addressed as the metaphorical offspring returning to the parent.
- 01
appetite comes with eating
Starting an activity increases one's desire to continue it.
- 02
as they come
As it is possible to be.
- 03
blow to kingdom come
To totally destroy (something); to annihilate or wipe out (something).
- 04
burn that bridge when one comes to it
To anticipate dealing with a problem or situation either by acting in a manner that alienates or cuts ties with others, or merely with the expectation of encountering trouble.
- 05
Christmas come early
Something very delightful or fortunate that is happening or has happened, especially earlier than expected.
- 06
come a cropper
To suffer some accident or misfortune; to fail.
- 07
come a long way
To make significant progress.
- 08
come again
A polite formula used when one has not heard or understood what has been said, or to indicate surprise.
Last updated August 10, 2026