silver fox
- noun
- /ˈsɪlvər fɑks/
- Informal
:
hombre atractivo
- That silver fox has the charisma to attract attention wherever he goes.
Examples
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Earlier this week, he was roasted at the State of the Union by Utah Senator and silver fox Mitt Romney.
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"Who's the silver fox in the gray Armani suit?" Decker studied the figure below—six
Fiction book (1995) -
Everyone admired the silver fox at the party, with his charming style and distinguished appearance.
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Many women find a silver fox appealing because of his confidence and fashionable look.
How Attractive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'silver' transparently evokes grey or silver hair and thus older age, while 'fox' can be used metaphorically for an attractive or cunning person; together they suggest an attractive older man with grey hair. However, the figurative use of 'fox' for attractiveness is culturally specific and not guaranteed to be known by a B1 learner who only knows the literal senses, so the relation is partially but not fully predictable.
Etymology
Silver fox is a nickname that links a man's grey hair, silver, with the clever, attractive image of a fox, so it means an attractive, stylish older man.