mother of all

Meaning

Phrase

• the greatest or largest of (its kind); the most epic example of (its kind).

Origin

• . Popularized and given its current sense by Saddam Hussein's claim that the impending Gulf War would be the أُمّ معارك, though [[mother had long been used in somewhat similar senses in English, and other familial terms are used with the same meaning, like granddaddy (of all traffic jams) and father (of all battles).