‘You’re at your auntie’s’ - what would you take that to mean?

[nootherplaceinthisworld]

Context, appointment with (not her actual job title) ‘support worker’ (a lot older than I am) in her office - she said something along lines of ‘you organise the coffee, you’re at your auntie’s now’ .

Lovely turn of phrase and I assume it means as I thought ie make yourself at home - have I got that right? Because that’s what I did …

I’m a bit crap with social cues at times - anxiety and various other things that have happened before that have left me struggling a bit . She’s really lovely and a huge and very valuable support just now but I’m crap at socialising (or I feel I am) and don’t want to make myself look stupid .

Make yourself at home.
My grandmother used this phrase the first time she met my dad!

I’ve never heard that phrase before, I would have been very confused, you got the (correct) end of the stick quicker than I would have done.

That’s a lovely thing to say actually, very welcoming.

I've never heard the expression myself but would assume in the context you've described she was trying to put you at ease, that you should relax. So don't worry you've not done anything weird.

But I also want to add, even if you didn't help yourself because you had no idea what she meant that would not be your fault. We comprehend a saying or infer from the context or because we know the person and so if you have a situation where you haven't a clue what someone means you can just say "eh? What does that mean?" or "I don't understand what you're saying?" . There is nothing wrong in not understanding.

Yes make yourself at home. My mothers lovely friend always said this to us when we visited as children.

I've never heard that expression but I really like it as I have understood it exactly as you have

I’d never heard that before. What a lovely phrase!

Very common expression amongst ethnic minority communities in the UK and around the world.

Oh I would have interpreted differently - as in an auntie being older and someone to respect so you have to 'organise' ie make refreshments for people and general tidying.

Means make yourself at home, tuck into food/drink etc

That’s actually what I thought for a split second - mind flashed back to the way my family were ie younger people expected to get up and did the dishes etc!! - but in context she’s very welcoming and good at putting you at ease so I think I got it right ie make yourself at home, relax . It’s a lovely phrase yes . She is absolutely wonderful .

I wouldn't have taken it positively at all! I was raised in a culture where younger people were expected to wait on elders hand and foot to show respect. So I would have interpreted it as a direct order (organise the coffee) followed by a telling off (you shouldn't need remind that you are at an 'aunty's')

But pleased to hear most others wouldn't take it that way.

Yup, this is my interpretation!

I thought it was something to do with periods. Aunties coming yo visit is a euphemism

It’s definitely “make yourself at home and have a cup of tea and a biscuit”. Or when said to kids, it means way as many sweets as you want. Very common in west of Scotland.

Definitely means make yourself at home, you got it right.

Yes. In my childhood “eat up you’re at your aunty’” was used to indicate a bit of a treat on the food front. You didn’t have to be at your actual aunty’s either.

I grew up hearing that phrase from lots of adults and it always meant make yourself at home. There's no airs and graces or formalities here now, just get stuck in as if we're all family!

Ha me too!! I think the nicer interpretation is more likely though!

I read the title and thought it was something to do with petticoat showing.

So what was that saying?

It's a phrase used by an older member of my family. It means make yourself at home and eat as much as humanly possible. Particularly children should eat as many cakes and sweets as they can.

I never heard it and I’m not from UK originally but it does feel like yes, you are not at your close relative’s house but feel like you are : make yourself tea, treat yourself with biscuits etc.
My late aunt was famous for having a lot of food treats and the visit to her meant exactly this for me: cup of tea and something nice. You would never go away from her house half full!

Also thought it was another period pseudonym but on reflection I think that is your cousin is visiting. Never heard the auntie phrase before but it sounds nice.

Definitely to just make yourself at home. I thin it may be a Scottish phrase, or at least it’s commonly said in Scotland at least. Maybe more so by the older generation.

Ah yes my family used to use this. It means exactly what you thought 'make yourself at home / you're family here'

Yep, both Scottish - I’m east coast now living in the west so that might explain why I’m less familiar with it !

It did make me feel a million times better, I’m dealing with complex grief and feeling so far away from home and family - felt so at ease when she said it, it’s a lovely phrase .