after you, my dear Alphonse

after you, my dear Alphonse

A phrase typically said when two people try to do the same thing at the same time. It derives from the 1920s comic strip Happy Hooligan, which featured two very well-mannered Frenchmen, Alphonse and Gaston. No, no, you go first—after you, my dear Alphonse! When they both reached the entrance at the same time, the man held the door open and said, "After you, my dear Alphonse." A: "After you, my dear Alphonse." B: "Why, thank you!"

See also: after, dear

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.