old man
287
2.7
- noun
- /oʊld mæn/
- Informal
:
amigo
- You listen to me, old man, and you burn this into your brain.
So it's come to this old man.
- So it's come to this old man.
- And he opens his arms and Hal looks at him and he says, I know thee not, old man.
Examples
-
I am just an old man who cares very much about you.
-
He's a lovely old man.
-
How is your old man?
-
You know what, old man?
-
Perhaps the old man was going to face the facts, after all.
Fiction book (1990) -
Once, the old man was telling the whole bunch of us Coyote stories.
Academic text (1999) -
Glancing aside, I saw that even the old man from the bait shop had come outside to watch.
Fiction book (1991) -
I'm getting my samples ready for old man Strauss in the morning.
-
Never darken the door of that old man's shop again.
-
The old man at the park always shares stories about his youth with the children.
Synonyms
42
8.1
An informal, loving name for a grandfather
42
8.0
A friendly way to call a man you know well
40
5.0
An older man who is the parent of one of your parents
11
8.2
A friendly name people use for an older man in Britain
9
9.9
A loving name for an old man, often a grandfather
8
8.8
A joking, slightly rude name for an old man
6
7.7
An older man who is your grandfather or a kind male relative
3
2.1
An old small man who many people like
1
9.1
An old man people speak about in a friendly or polite way
1
6.7
An old man used as a friendly name for your grandfather or another older man
An older man people talk about in a loving way, often someone's father
A polite name for an older man who people respect for his wisdom
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'old man' as the name of the herb (Artemisia abrotanum) has no predictable relation to the literal meanings of 'old' (elderly) and 'man' (adult male). A B1 learner who knows the constituents would interpret it as referring to an elderly male, not a plant name, so the botanical sense is lexicalized and not compositionally derivable.
Etymology
Old man is a familiar name that may come from the simple picture of an older, trusted man who leads or cares for others. One popular story says people used to call a leader 'old man' as a friendly, respectful way to speak, so today it can mean a man spoken to with affection or who is 'in authority'.