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Glite Dictionary
the ould fella

the ould fella

9.9
An older man people talk about in a loving way, often someone's father
  • noun
  • Irish
translation icon : el viejo
  • Whenever I needed advice, I'd go to the ould fella for a chat.

Examples

  • Last weekend, my brother and I took the ould fella fishing.

  • The ould fella always had a witty saying ready for any situation.

  • I visited the ould fella last weekend.

  • My brother is just like the ould fella.

  • The ould fella shared stories from his youth that made us all laugh.

  • On holidays, we always invited the ould fella to join us for dinner.

  • Whenever I felt lost, the ould fella was there to guide me with his wisdom.

Synonyms

old chap
vsthe ould fella
  • UK
11 8.2

A friendly name people use for an older man in Britain

is more Irish and often used affectionately for a family member
old geezer
vsthe ould fella
  • Offensive
8 8.8

A joking, slightly rude name for an old man

expresses family warmth and affectionate respect rather than humour or disrespect
little old man
vsthe ould fella
  • Informal
3 2.1

An old small man who many people like

focuses more on family affection and Irish informal usage rather than size
gaffer
vsthe ould fella
  • Archaic
1 9.1

An old man people speak about in a friendly or polite way

leans more toward warm family affection and Irish colloquial speech
ould fella
vsthe ould fella
  • Irish
9.9

A friendly name for an old man used in Ireland

is used the same way but often includes a definite article and father reference

Surface Forms

the ould fella singular
the ould fellas plural

Morphology

the + ould + fella

This phrase is a dialectal/colloquial spelling of 'the old fella' (old + fella), so its meaning 'an old man, often affectionately' is directly derivable from the constituents. Although 'ould' is an Irish-English phonetic spelling of 'old', the compositional semantics are straightforward and predictable for a learner who knows the parts.

Etymology

The ould fella may come from Irish speech where people say ould as a friendly form of 'old' and fella for 'man'. It paints a warm picture of someone calling an older man or their father 'the ould fella', so today it means 'an old man' used affectionately.