English

Noun

memory lane ‎(plural memory lanes)

1. (idiomatic, sometimes capitalized) A set of recollections available to be reviewed, especially accompanied by a feeling of nostalgia.
   • 1954, Peter De Vries, The Tunnel of Love, Little, Brown, & Co., p. 25:

     "How about a stroll down Memory Lane. Remember this?" He thrust a picture at me.

   • 2001, Margaret Maron, Corpus Christmas, ISBN 9780446677660, p. 255:

     Sigrid took a bittersweet trip down memory lane when Anne opened the carton of ornaments and lifted out a crumpled tinsel star. All at once she was three years old again and her father was holding her up in his strong arms to place that same star on the very top of their Christmas tree.

Usage notes

• Often used in the expressions down memory lane (114 out of 163 total occurrences at COCA) and trip down memory lane. Forms of trip occur 36 times within 4 words of down memory lane, but almost all uses extend the metaphor of a journey in some way, using words like walk, stroll, journey, detour, and amble.