act (one's) age
To behave in accordance with one's expected level of maturity. Really, John, act your age a little. You're like a child sometimes! I'm glad that Sarah is so committed to her studies, but sometimes I wish she would act her age and go out with her friends a bit. Would you two please act your age and stop carrying on in the middle of class?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
act your age
If you tell someone to act their age, you are telling them to behave in a way that is suitable for their age, because they are behaving in a childish way. One patient complained that the nurse had told her: `Act your age and pull yourself together.' Note: This expression is used to express disapproval of someone's behaviour.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
act your age
behave in a manner appropriate to your age and not to someone much younger.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
ˌact/ˌbe your ˈage
(informal) (often used as a command) stop behaving like a child: You’re behaving like a couple of kids. Act your age! Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
act your age
Don’t be childish or act foolish. This admonition appears to date from the 1920s. “Be your age” is the caption of a 1925 New Yorker cartoon; “act your age” appears in a 1932 issue of American Speech, a journal that chronicles current usage.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer