after you
phrase1
A gesture, usually polite, urging another person to take a turn at something ahead of the speaker.
- [Beaufort commands him to go in] No, no, after you, Baron-I insist!1840, William Dimond, Englishmen in India; a comic opera, in three acts, etc., page 73:
- After you. I insist. And then that sharklike smile.2005, Keith Dixon, Ghostfires: A Novel, page 4:
1 more example
- We greeted each other when we met in the hallway, from time to time we waited for the elevator together, hands folded behind our backs—no, no, after you, please! No, after you!2007, Paul Verhaeghen, Omega Minor, page 145:
- Derived terms
- after you, Alphonse
- Related terms
- ladies first