Where did the expression “my old man” come from and why does it refer to a woman’s husband and at the same time a man’s father? Also men use “my old lady” to refer to their wives but not mothers.
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Most of western society is patriarchal, where the oldest man is the one who runs the family. For men, that would typically be their father until he passes, at which time they take over as patriarch. For women, this would be their father until she married, at which point it would become her husband.
So, your “old man” – i.e. the man who runs your family – varies based on your gender. While those standards don’t apply as much today as they did 100 years ago, the etymology stuck.
I think I see the problem here.. where I am from, father = Old Man , husband = Ole Man , wife = ole lady , and you wouldn’t dare call your mother “Old Lady”
I always figured the “old (ole) man/lady” was the natural progression from “the old ball and chain” referring to your significant other in marriage.
Because the English language is crazy. Why do we say that we have ten fingers and also can say a thumb is not a finger? Why do we say “head over heels” to mean confused when for most people head over heels happens whenever we stand?
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