big boy
126
5.3
- noun
- /bɪɡ bɔɪ/
- Informal
:
todo un hombre
- It's time to become a big boy and take responsibility for your own decisions.
- a big boy now
- big boy pants
- play with the big boys
No, I I just like to stay fresh, big boy, fresh PBF.
- No, I I just like to stay fresh, big boy, fresh PBF.
- You've seen all the big boys like literally training there.
- And again, he like long skinny legs, big boy.
- What I was anxious to to do was to play with the big boys.
- But Kevin, Kevin and Danny are the big boys.
- That was the first example, if I'm recapping it, that I could point to that said in a big boy version, I was right.
- I saw some big boys while I was travelling.
Examples
-
I need you to be a big boy, okay?
-
We're both big boys.
-
Hey man, thanks for being such a big boy and changing your mind, because I fully agree.
-
You have to be a big boy.
-
But he is a big boy now, and it is time to move on.
Fiction book (1998) -
"You getting to be a big boy," he said.
Fiction book (1993) -
When you turn 3, you will be a big boy and no more diapers!
Blog text (17) -
Petya is a big boy now; you would not recognize him.
Fiction book (1991) -
Come on, big boy.
-
I'm a big boy.
Antonyms
How Mature
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'big' (older/larger/more mature) + 'boy' (male/young person), so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer either a physically large male or a figurative sense of someone more mature or newly independent. The playful, extended sense ('big boy now') is a predictable pragmatic extension and mirrors patterns found in many languages, making the expression transparent to learners.
Etymology
Big boy comes from the simple image of a child who looks taller or does a new grown-up job and adults say big boy to praise them. That's why big boy is used today to mean someone 'grown up' or 'responsible' in a friendly way.