Would you like to give someone the option of a final ultimatum where they accept your point of view or metaphorically take a hike if they don't? The term 'my way or the highway' is a common expression that can make an ultimatum known to everyone in the discussion. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this common term.
Meaning
The saying 'my way or the highway' is an expression that is most often used to indicate an ultimatum from one person to another.
When two situations are presented and only one of them is the desired outcome (of the ultimatum that has been given), then the speaker can say 'my way or the highway' to indicate that their way is the preferred choice for the person it is being said to.
The term 'my way or the highway' is a type of metaphorical saying that implies wanted cooperation and the final ultimatum.
The term is usually presented with the ultimatum so that all parties in the discussion have context.
The expression is usually presented as 'either/or' taking someone's way versus the highway, where the highway is the implied alternative to the ultimatum given.
The term can rarely be applied to a group of people, by saying 'our way or the highway' although this is a rarer use of the expression.
Familiarity with the term is sometimes assumed when it is said, and the shorter expression 'my way' can imply or infer the longer meaning of the term – thus, the alternative, or highway.
Example Usage
“If you don't like the fact that we put pineapples on our pizza in this house, then you can choose my way or the highway. We're ordering the pizza with pineapple for everyone, or we're not going to order pizza at all.”
“We're going to see the new Madonna show, and if you don't like to join us then it's my way or the highway.”
“When my grandmother told my dad it was her way or the highway, he just picked the highway and moved straight in with my mom.”
“I wasn't sure how I felt about the situation until they said it was going to be their way or the highway for the rest of the day.”
Origin
The term 'my way or the highway' is said to originate from the 1970s, at a time when hitch-hiking and traveling across the United States by whatever means necessary became popular among young people and drifters of the era.
If someone is told to accept either [someone's] way or the highway, it is being implied that the person can “take a hike” instead of accepting someone's ultimatum or alternative.
The sentence presents a choice without an actual choice or alternative being offered, and it is a popular way of implying (to someone) that an ultimatum is being made.
The sentence was first listed in Urban Dictionary from 2006, even though the term has been in common use since long before this.
Phrases Similar to My Way or the Highway
- Take it or leave it
Phrases Opposite to My Way or the Highway
- N/a
What is the Correct Saying?
- It's [my/our/their/his/her] way or the highway
- It's either [my/our/their/his/her] way or the highway
Ways People May Say My Way or the Highway Incorrectly
There are several ways in which someone can use the term 'my way or the highway' in the wrong way, usually only where the meaning or the situation is not apparent to the person who the expression is being said to.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase My Way or the Highway
The acceptable way to use the phrase 'my way or the highway' is to use it to imply that someone can accept an ultimatum, or choose the metaphorical “highway” mentioned in the expression – and thus that they can instead “take a hike” if they don't agree.