save the drama for your mama

Chosen for the rhyme. First use appears c. 1999. See cite below.

(slang) Refrain from inciting drama (rumor, lying, or an exaggerated reaction to life events).
- 1999, Gabe Fied, Inside New York, page 279:
  asks you for ID and the best you can do is your library card, save the drama for your mama and leave quietly.
- 2002, Dana Johnson, Break Any Woman Down And Other Stories, page 92:
  This corny thing I saw on TV just kind of came to me, so I'm all, "Save the drama for your mama."
- 2005, Nane Quartay, The Badness, page 207:
  I'm just telling you the criminal court version. You can just save the drama for your mama. Because I don't want to hear it.
- 2010, Erin Bried, How to Build a Fire And Other Handy Things Your Grandfather Knew, page 92:
  Save the drama for your mama. In fact, spare your mama, too. Nobody likes drama. If you see something going down—tongues wagging, people complaining, plots hatching—stay out of it.
(slang) Synonym of suck it up (with the implication that one's mother is not present to care about one's feelings).

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