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America at home

(Irish, informal, dated) The height of luxury, comfort, or modernity.

əˈmɛɹəkə ˈæt ˈhoʊmDocumented since 1970s1970sGen Xhistorical160 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
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Born ~1971 · no dated citations yet
1971BornToday, 2026
Boomer / counterculture eraSee decade cohort →

Definitions

#1·Apr 27, 2026

(Irish, informal, dated) The height of luxury, comfort, or modernity.

Origin: Originally, and literally, the state of enjoying the comfortable life associated with emigrating to America while remaining "at home" in Ireland (thus having the best of both worlds). E.g.: * As landlords in Canada expect their tenants to pay their rent when due, Mr. Kilbride would not improve his position by emigrating to this country, as, to use a common Irish expression, he appears to have a "very good America at home." * 1971, Thomas P. Flanagan, Seanad Éireann debates 19 May 1971 [http://debates.oireachtas.ie/seanad/1971/05/19/00005.asp#… Vol.70 no.4 p.5 c.292]: *: She asked me if I. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

"America at home" means: The height of luxury, comfort, or modernity.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"America at home" means: The height of luxury, comfort, or modernity.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. Note the regional or dialect label (Irish) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.

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For specific readers

"America at home" means: The height of luxury, comfort, or modernity.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

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