How’s Your Mama and Them?
In Southern and Appalachian speech, "how’s your mama and them?" is a friendly greeting that really means "how’s your family?" It rarely asks just about the mother - it’s shorthand for checking on kinfolk as a whole.
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This is pretty much how we say it, but it's more like 'how’s your mama an'em?' This is pretty much how we say it, but it's more like 'how’s your mama an'em?' Pronunciation
Meaning & Usage
- A greeting that means "how’s your family?" (idiom)
Ain’t seen you in a while!Yeah, been busy. How’s your mama and them?- A marker of friendliness and kinship (idiom, cultural use)
How’s your mama and them?They’re doin’ fine - ask about y’all too.Origin and Etymology
Rooted in Southern and Appalachian kinship culture, where greetings naturally include family ties. The form "mama and them" (spoken "mama an’em") condensed into one of the most recognizable regional phrases.
Usage Notes
Still common in the South and Appalachia, especially in small towns and rural communities. Outsiders often hear it as "mama an’em," but within the region it’s instantly understood.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "how’s yer mama an’em?" Quick, run-together, with "and them" almost always shortened to "an’em."
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