old stamping ground

(old) stamping ground

A favorite place where one used to frequent; a location where one used to spend a lot of time. It's been a long time since I've been back to this old stamping ground by the lake! After the reunion, everyone from the old gang of friends went to our stamping ground, just like we used to do back in high school.
See also: ground, stamp

(one's) old stamping ground

A favorite place where one used to frequent; a location where one used to spend a lot of time. It's been a long time since I've been back to my old stamping ground by the lake! After the reunion, everyone from the old gang of friends went to our stamping ground, just like we used to do back in high school.
See also: ground, old, stamp
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

old stamping ground

A favorite or habitual haunt. This Americanism dates from the eighteenth century and originally referred to a place where horses or cattle were gathered together (presumably stamping down the ground with their hooves). By the early 1800s it had been transferred to a gathering place for human beings. D. Dunklin used it in an 1821 letter: “It is unnecessary to undertake to give you any details of affairs in your old stamping ground.”
See also: ground, old, stamp
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • (old) stamping ground
  • (one's) old stamping ground
  • (one's) old stomping ground
  • (old) stomping ground
  • at one time
  • at a time
  • (it's) (a)bout time
  • about time
  • a home from home
  • at one time or another
References in periodicals archive
Jones played twice for Hadley's new B team in division three on Fridays while Smith returns to his old stamping ground after playing twice for Newport in division one.
I LOVED Chris Hughton's postmatch comments after Brighton won at his old stamping ground St James' Park.
And the moniker follows him to his old stamping ground, where old friends have now become new enemies.
Barrow were level on the halfhour mark when keeper Chris Dunn spilled after Donovan Makoma's ball in and it fell nicely for ex-Dragon Jordan White, back on his old stamping ground, who tapped home from close range.
Bryan Ferry is returning to his old stamping ground next spring with a concert at Newcastle City Hall.
The Everton striker will revisit his old stamping ground today in the unfamiliar position of finding his way to the away dressing room.
QATAR RACING'S globetrotter Arod has a new home back in his old stamping ground of Newmarket after joining trainer David Simcock.
JAKE Libby returned to his old stamping ground in Cardiff to help Nottinghamshire into a strong position at the end of day one of their Specsavers County Championship game against Glamorgan.
Jose Mourinho returns to his old stamping ground hoping to do a "Chelsea" on his former club - nobody does football strangulation better than Jose.
Or will David Moyes return to his old stamping ground for a second bite at the cherry?
They shared a rum a month ago on their last get-together in Dagenham, London, just a few miles from their old stamping ground.
United head for his old stamping ground today seeking to avoid a ninth straight away loss at a venue where they have managed no points, no goals and conceded 10 in their last three visits.
Left-back Barrow, who joined the Exiles from Macclesfield Town and was back on his old stamping ground, smashed home a free-kick two minutes from time.
Victory for the Nats in the former PM's old stamping ground could signal that they are on course for something like the clean sweep some of the opinion polls have been suggesting.
It will be a return to my old stamping ground as Neil Mocroft and I used to work out of Halesowen and Stourbridge in the 1980s and 1990s.