grandfather in

grandfather in

To exempt certain people or businesses from new limitations or restrictions, thus allowing them to continue doing or benefiting from something as they did before. This can be done through the use of a "grandfather clause." A noun or pronoun can be used between "grandfather" and "in." If they change the pension plan, they better grandfather us in! Helmets become mandatory in the NHL in 1979, but the league grandfathered in players active before then. Only new hires have to live in the city to work here. The rest of us were grandfathered in when management drew up the new contract.

See also: grandfather

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

grandfather someone or something in

to protect someone or a right through the use of a grandfather clause. My payments were grandfathered in years ago.

See also: grandfather

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.