Be my guest

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Grammarist

Be my guest is an idiom that may not be as old as you think. We will examine the meaning of the common idiom be my guest, where it came from, and some examples of its idiomatic usage in sentences.

Be my guest is an affirmation that one is welcome to do something or use something or to make oneself comfortable as if in one’s own home. The inference is that the person offering the phrase be my guest is being hospitable. The idiom be my guest only came into use in the 1950s; it was popularized by Conrad Hilton’s autobiography, Be My Guest, and various advertising campaigns. The idiom be my guest originated in the United States.

Examples

If you want to pay R600 for half a kilogram of something that tastes like over-spiced tree bark, be my guest. (Daily Maverick)

“If they want to take me to court, and waste the taxpayers’ time and money, well be my guest because they’re the one that’s going to pay for it, not I,” Steffan said. (NWI Times)

I’ve often commented about low interest rates, most recently arguing that they were essentially saying “be my guest” in terms of extending government borrowing to meet urgent needs. (Washington Post)

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