ENGLISH
REFERENCE

not your father's

idiom
Meaning

Recently changed, made unconventional through modernisation.

Origin

disputed origin

From an advertising slogan for the Oldsmobile car, "this is not your father's Oldsmobile".

Examples
SIMPLE

This new smartphone is not your father's old phone.

CONTEXTUAL

The company updated their classic car design, but this version is definitely not your father's sedan.

COMPLEX

While the restaurant kept the original name, the experimental menu proves this is not your father's traditional steakhouse.

Anchors to
Related idioms1entry
  1. 01

    twinkle in one's father's eye

    A notional look of anticipation or hope (either for sex or a child) in one's father's eyes at or around the time of one's conception.

Last updated July 12, 2026