coffin dodger
- noun
- Offensive
:
carcamal
- Is that what they call coffin dodgers?
Examples
-
The elderly woman always jokes about being a coffin dodger after recovering from her illness.
-
At 85, he calls himself a coffin dodger and laughs about all the birthdays he's celebrated.
-
In their conversations, the kids affectionately refer to their grandpa as a coffin dodger.
Synonyms
8
8.8
A joking, slightly rude name for an old man
6
8.8
An old man who is often a little odd and amusing
4
8.4
A man who is elderly, a bit strange, and often grumpy
3
7.6
A person who is clearly past middle age
1
9.9
An extremely old person people call jokingly or rudely
An old person who walks slowly and unsteadily because they are weak
Antonyms
How Old
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'coffin' (a box for the dead) and 'dodger' (one who avoids), so a learner who knows the words can infer a person who is 'dodging' death — i.e., an older survivor. However, the meaning is metaphorical, humorous and carries social nuance (informal/pejorative) that is not fully predictable from the parts, so full comprehension and pragmatic interpretation may require exposure.
Etymology
Coffin dodger comes from a clear image: a dodger moving away from a coffin, as if avoiding death. That's why people use it as a joking way to call an elderly person who has 'survived' illness or lived longer than expected.