calf love
1
7.5
- noun
- /kæf lʌv/
- Archaic
- First is calf love.
Examples
-
This other thing, this ridiculous resurrection of calf love.
-
At summer camp, she experienced a charming calf love for her cabin mate.
-
His first crush was just a fleeting calf love that didn't last past the school year.
-
Many teenagers remember their calf love as a sweet but short-lived infatuation.
Synonyms
271
2.9
A short strong feeling of attraction to someone you like
20
5.1
A strong short feeling of attraction that is not true love
7
3.7
A strong short romantic feeling often felt by young people
How Intense
16
3.4
∞
1.0
20
5.1
- Archaic
1
7.5
- Informal
271
2.9
1
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
calf + love
The components 'calf' (a young animal) + 'love' make it possible to infer 'young or immature love', but the metaphorical use of 'calf' to mean adolescent/short-lived human affection is somewhat archaic and not fully predictable for a B1 learner. The meaning is partially derivable from the parts but requires cultural/idiomatic knowledge, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
The phrase calf love may come from the image of a young calf, a baby animal that is inexperienced and shows quick, simple affection, so people compared that short feeling to young love. That's why calf love now means a short, innocent kind of 'first crush' or 'temporary infatuation'.