Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

Assuming your internet search included "slang phrases" and etymology sites and N-grams, as well as a Google for "leaning (and leanin') towards (and toward) murphy" [and there's 4 possible search combinations there] my best guess is that it was a tangential reference to Murphy's Law: If something can possible go wrong, it will go wrong.

So maybe your grandmother saw things that were leaning as things that were about to fall over?

Murphy's love to drink and we often have a hard time standing completely upright after a few drinks....

kmccary said:

So, my maternal grandmother, whenever she saw something not correctly upright, as it should be, she would say it was "Leanin' towards Murphy!" Anyone ever hear this? There is nothing on the internet, so maybe my Grandmother made it up! Thanks for any help!

Was your grandmother by any chance from North or South Carolina?