dirty old man
10
8.4
- noun
- /ˈdɜrti oʊld mæn/
- Offensive
- It's inappropriate for a dirty old man to make suggestive comments to young women.
- sound like a dirty old man
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Watch on YouTubeAnd you're a dirty old man.
- And you're a dirty old man.
- Bag ladies, winos, dirty old man.
Examples
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The next complaint I came across was that Gentry Lee is a dirty old man who likes to write gratuitous sex scenes.
Blog text (22) -
What're you doing, you dirty old man?
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Oh, he was a dirty old man.
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What kind of dirty old men do you let into that place?
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Somebody get that dirty old man out.
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Listen, you dirty old man.
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Yes, Harry is the ultimate dirty old man.
Blog text (16) -
You're a dirty old man.
Fiction book (1998) -
You dirty old man!
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I find myself semi-hard most of the time, cursing myself for being a dirty old man.
Fiction book (1994)
Antonyms
How Lewd
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is largely derivable by combining 'dirty' (in its figurative sense 'lecherous') with 'old' + 'man', so the adjective-noun composition points clearly to an older man with indecent sexual behavior. However, it depends on knowing the non-literal sense of 'dirty' rather than literal uncleanliness, which some B1 learners may not automatically access, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Dirty old man The phrase comes from calling an older man dirty when he shows unwanted sexual interest or behaves in a sexually improper way, so the image is of an 'old man' with 'dirty' thoughts or actions. That's why it now means 'an older man who behaves in a sexually improper or unwanted way'.