Someone asked me the other day about the origin of this idiom, where “Aunt[ie] Mildred” is a generic name for an aged relative who you wouldn’t wish to offend [“you wouldn’t say that to my Auntie Mildred”.]

Anyone have any ideas, please? Is it, as they thought, of British English derivation?

There are actually a couple names I’ve heard in that context. “Aunt Martha” and “Aunt Gertrude” also seem to be used generically in a similar manner. One could guess that because these were common names at one time, then as they aged, large numbers of people had aunties with these names.

I’m interested to see if anyone can find a specific reference on the origin?

Meanwhile, you made me wonder about “Bob’s your uncle” (since everyone seems to have an Uncle Bob) and I tripped over this unrelated yet interesting theory as to the origin of that expression: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bob1.htm

Heh. I don’t know where - maybe I started it - but “Bob’s Your Auntie” has also appeared occasionally.

Go, Fish ! 

“Auntie Bob” belongs in “Yer Muvver wears Army Boots” league. 

“Auntie Jack” also made it big on Aussie TV back in the 70’s, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs9ma5oHVbE&feature=related, and if you don’t watch it, she’ll “rip yer bloody arms off.”

Mildred, if you’re reading this, Bandito needs an “Agoran Aunt” rather badly.

A snippet of historical trivia.  Graham Bond, who played “Auntie Jack” studied architecture at UNSW in Sydney prior to his TV career and worked in my Dad’s architecture office in Sydney after graduation.  In the days when drawings were still done by hand on large sheets of tracing paper cut from rolls, Gary’s working drawings usually consisted of an elegantly drawn frame around a largely empty space, with scores of liitle cartoons, caricatures and witticisms around the periphery !

Now at any rate, I reckon if old Auntie Mildred were ever known for monetary remuneration and bright, sunny affect it would truly make her Uncle Hundred instead to all his/her greatest admirers!

Only if suitably Attillared.

Idiom is an expression conforming or appropriate to the peculiar structural form of a language; in extend use, an expression sanctioned by usage, having a sense peculiar to itself and not agreeing with the logical sense of its structural form; also, the phrase forms peculiar to a particular author. And for further information you can see this url http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiom may be this help to you in knowing the origin.