whatever floats your boat

English

Etymology

The earliest evidence hints that figurative use of the phrase originated among pleasure boaters in the USA.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Interjection

whatever floats your boat

1. (originally US) Do whatever makes you happy or stimulates you.

   Synonym: suit yourself

Derived terms

• whatever butters your biscuit, whatever butters your biscuits
• whatever butters your bread
• whatever butters your muffin
• whatever butters your toast
• whatever humps your camel
• whatever melts your butter
• whatever sizzles your bacon
• whatever tickles your pickle
• whatever winds your clock

See also

• float someone's boat
• whatever helps you sleep at night
• you do you

Further reading

• Charles Clay Doyle, Wolfgang Mieder, Fred R. Shapiro, editors (2012), “Whatever floats your boat”, in The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs, New Haven: Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 23