old chap
16
8.2
- noun
- /əʊld tʃæp/
- UK
- Well done, old chap.
- say, old chap
- sorry, old chap
- Good morning, old chap
Examples
-
Thanks, old chap.
-
Look here, old chap, what's this all about?
Fiction book (1999) -
Thanks for coming to the war room, old chap.
-
Do you know what a will is, old chap?
-
Sorry about that, old chap.
-
Where are you, old chap?
-
You have my word, old chap.
Fiction book (1998) -
You've been extremely decent about all this, old chap.
-
Terrible luck, old chap.
-
Good morning, old chap! It's nice to see you again.
Synonyms
83
8.0
A friendly way to call a man you know well
34
8.1
An informal, loving name for a grandfather
16
9.5
An old man who behaves strangely and is often grumpy
14
7.2
A polite name for an older man who people respect for his wisdom
13
8.8
A joking, slightly rude name for an old man
9
2.1
An old small man who many people like
5
8.4
A man who is elderly, a bit strange, and often grumpy
1
9.1
An old man people speak about in a friendly or polite way
1
9.9
A friendly name for an old man used in Ireland
1
9.9
An older man people talk about in a loving way, often someone's father
A man who is pleasant, helpful, and easy to talk to
Antonyms
How Familiar
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'old' (older) + 'chap' (informal fellow) yields an older fellow, which matches the MWE sense. This adjective+noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common (though the affectionate, British register may be a pragmatic nuance), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase old chap may come from the older use of chap to mean a 'man' or 'friend', and adding old made it sound warm or polite. So today old chap is a friendly, old-fashioned way to call an older man.