The mother of all
Encyclopedia
The mother of all... has become a stock phrase in English-language public discourse and popular culture
. It implies the largest or most significant example of a class, which completely overshadows all other cases in the class. For example, "the mother of all battles" would imply the largest, most destructive, most significant battle ever fought.
, Saddam Hussein
, after the invasion of Kuwait
in 1990. Bulletins to Iraqi citizens advised them to prepare for an invasion and "the mother of all battles"
promised in a speech "the mother of all battles" if the US
-led coalition forces attempted to evict his army of occupation from Kuwait
. The phrase "mother of all battles" in this instance was a translation of the Arabic expression Umm al-Ma'arik. This is a common trope
in Arabic public rhetoric
. As Saddam's audience would have understood, it refers to the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah
in AD 637, when an Arab army defeated the Persians.
In 1994, the term was retroactively applied to "The Mother of All Demos
", a 1968 demonstration of several then-new computer technologies, such as the computer mouse and hypertext
.
The phrase "the mother of all..." had been used in the past in the sense of the origin of all of a particular class of things, rather than the most significant. In that context, Benjamin Franklin
in Poor Richard's Almanack (1755) wrote, "A full Belly is the Mother of all Evil." In the same sense, the phrase was used in the King James Version of the Bible in 1611 (Galatians 4:26, "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all") and in the literal sense regarding Eve as "mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20).
Phrases such as "mother of all wisdom" exist at least as far back as 1853.
In the game Bloons Tower Defense, a somewhat hard boss is a large blue blimp known as the "Mother Of All Bloons" (Moab for short).
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
. It implies the largest or most significant example of a class, which completely overshadows all other cases in the class. For example, "the mother of all battles" would imply the largest, most destructive, most significant battle ever fought.
History
The phrase "the mother of all..." was popularized in recent years, though not introduced, by President of IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, after the invasion of Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
in 1990. Bulletins to Iraqi citizens advised them to prepare for an invasion and "the mother of all battles"
promised in a speech "the mother of all battles" if the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-led coalition forces attempted to evict his army of occupation from Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
. The phrase "mother of all battles" in this instance was a translation of the Arabic expression Umm al-Ma'arik. This is a common trope
Trope (literature)
A literary trope is the usage of figurative language in literature, or a figure of speech in which words are used in a sense different from their literal meaning...
in Arabic public rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
. As Saddam's audience would have understood, it refers to the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah
Battle of al-Qadisiyyah
The Battle of al-Qādisiyyah was fought in 636; it was the decisive engagement between the Arab muslim army and the Sassanid Persian army during the first period of Muslim expansion. It resulted in the Islamic conquest of Persia, and was key to the conquest of Iraq...
in AD 637, when an Arab army defeated the Persians.
Usage
The expression "the mother of all" has spread widely through English-language media and culture. It continues to be widely used: Time magazine headed its story on the 2008 financial crisis "Washington Prepares the Mother of All Bailouts". In the same context the Wall Street Journal referred to "The Mother of All Mondays". Massive Ordnance Air Blast munitions (MOAB) have been nicknamed "Mother of all bombs" due to their identical acronyms.In 1994, the term was retroactively applied to "The Mother of All Demos
The Mother of All Demos
The Mother of All Demos is a name given to Douglas Engelbart's December 9, 1968, demonstration of experimental computer technologies that are now commonplace...
", a 1968 demonstration of several then-new computer technologies, such as the computer mouse and hypertext
Hypertext
Hypertext is text displayed on a computer or other electronic device with references to other text that the reader can immediately access, usually by a mouse click or keypress sequence. Apart from running text, hypertext may contain tables, images and other presentational devices. Hypertext is the...
.
The phrase "the mother of all..." had been used in the past in the sense of the origin of all of a particular class of things, rather than the most significant. In that context, Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
in Poor Richard's Almanack (1755) wrote, "A full Belly is the Mother of all Evil." In the same sense, the phrase was used in the King James Version of the Bible in 1611 (Galatians 4:26, "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all") and in the literal sense regarding Eve as "mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20).
Phrases such as "mother of all wisdom" exist at least as far back as 1853.
In the game Bloons Tower Defense, a somewhat hard boss is a large blue blimp known as the "Mother Of All Bloons" (Moab for short).