Like father, like son means that a son is just like his father in character, habits or choice of career. It can sound proud, or ironic if the son has inherited a weakness. The phrase is flexible: for a mother and daughter people say like mother, like daughter, and if a daughter takes after her father, like father, like daughter.
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Like father, like son.; like mother, like daughter; like father, like daughter
- Jack fell asleep in front of the TV, just like his dad does every Sunday. Like father, like son.
- My mum and I both cry at every romantic film. 'Like mother, like daughter,' my husband always says.
What changed
First versionKate plays the piano beautifully, just like her dad. Like father, like son!
RevisionKate plays the piano beautifully, just like her dad. Like father, like daughter!
Like father, like son isn't a fixed proverb but a frame: you put in the people you're talking about. Kate is a daughter, so son was replaced with daughter. With son, the phrase sounds like a mistake or a clumsy joke.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree is about resembling your parents in general and sounds like a conclusion. Like father, like son is shorter and always names who is like whom. To simply say that someone resembles a parent, the verb take after is enough: Ben really takes after his dad.
Your turn
Ben's dad is a football coach, and Ben spends every weekend on the pitch. ___!
Show the answer
Like father, like son — Ben takes after his dad, a football coach, so like father, like son. Like mother, like daughter is about a mother and a daughter, and here we're talking about a father and a son.
Write about someone you know who is like one of their parents. Say which parent they're like and in what way, and finish with the right version of the phrase.
My cousin Anya is a doctor and works in the same hospital as her mum. Like mother, like daughter.
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