old codger
4
8.4
- noun
- /oʊld ˈkɑːdʒər/
- Informal
:
viejo gruñón
- You can always count on the old codger to tell a good story.
- two old codgers
- just an old codger
Examples
-
We old codgers make mistakes, too, you know.
-
This old codger is more comfortable studying bugs than socializing with people.
Fiction book (2002) -
What about this old codger up here?
-
The old codger can see out the back of his head.
-
The old codger has finally decided to sell.
-
Happy anniversary you old codgers.
-
This crazy old codger with a cane shows up.
-
I'm surprised the old codger ever came down.
Fiction book (1990) -
That reminds me, you two old codgers owe me 20 quid.
-
You're the old codger who rides the Army Indian, right?
Synonyms
47
9.3
An old man who behaves in a strange or unusual way
17
9.7
An older person who seems out of touch and set in their ways
15
9.5
An old man who behaves strangely and is often grumpy
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
1
9.1
An old man people speak about in a friendly or polite way
Antonyms
How Eccentric
- Offensive
21
7.2
- Informal
4
8.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'old' (elderly) with 'codger' (an eccentric or quirky old man); the noun already encodes the idea of an elderly, quirky man and the adjective simply reinforces it. This straightforward adjective + noun composition follows normal English (and cross-linguistic) patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Old codger may come from the old word codger, a dialect form of cadger that meant someone who carried goods or was a 'beggar'. Picture a quiet, odd man who stayed around and asked for things, and that image helped old codger come to mean 'an odd or grumpy old man'.