# not your father's

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/not-your-fathers
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Recently changed, made unconventional through modernisation.

## Examples

- This new smartphone is not your father's old phone.
- The company updated their classic car design, but this version is definitely not your father's sedan.
- While the restaurant kept the original name, the experimental menu proves this is not your father's traditional steakhouse.

## Origin

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

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.