old man
312
1.4
- noun
- /oʊld mæn/
- Informal
:
papá
- In high school, I played football because my old man expected me to.
And my old man went on the top of the indictment.
- And my old man went on the top of the indictment.
Examples
-
"How would you like it if your old man acted like that?"
Academic text (2007) -
This one here is from my old man who taught me to be patient, want more than I have.
-
I wish my old man could see these.
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The rich old man is my father.
-
My old man is that jealous, you wouldn't believe.
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You're going to break your old man's heart.
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Look, even if the scholarship doesn't come through, my old man said he'd lend you the money.
Fiction book (1992) -
My old man always gives the best advice when I'm feeling lost.
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I called my old man to ask for help with my car troubles.
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Every Sunday, I spend time with my old man, reminiscing about our family stories.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A man who has a child
∞
1.0
A man who is your father
∞
1.0
An informal name a child uses for their father
252
8.2
A person's father, used as a friendly name
83
1.6
An informal word a child uses for their father
43
8.5
A warm word some families use for father or grandfather
35
8.2
A father's informal name
16
9.1
A young child's word for father
2
8.2
A familiar loving name a child uses for their father
A friendly name for your father
An older man people talk about in a loving way, often someone's father
A loving nickname for a child's grandfather or sometimes father
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 became a casual name for 'father' because children saw their dad as the older head of the home. Saying 'my old man' is an easy, familiar way to mean 'my father'.