gentleman's gentleman
1
9.1
- noun
- Archaic
:
valet
- As a gentleman's gentleman, he always ensured that his employer's clothes were impeccably arranged.
Examples
-
Not just for your sake but this is difficult for me to say, sir, but for mine as well - I mean, how many men these days require the services of a gentleman's gentleman?
-
Tell me, how do you like being a gentleman's gentleman?
-
My father was a gentleman's gentleman, and I am a gentleman's gentleman.
-
My father was a gentleman's gentleman, and I am a gentleman's gentleman.
-
And I, Herbert Arthur Runcible Cadbury… born in the tradition of service was to become his gentleman's gentleman or as you Americans would say, his butler.
-
The movie portrays a gentleman's gentleman who dedicated his life to serving a wealthy nobleman.
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When attending lavish events, a gentleman's gentleman is essential for managing the finer details of his employer's appearance.
Synonyms
39
6.0
A person who helps someone dress and care for their clothes
11
7.4
A man who works in someone's house doing jobs like cleaning and helping with meals
1
9.9
A man who cares for a person's clothes and personal needs in a house or court
1
9.4
A person who helps someone dress and bathe every day
A man who works in a home to serve and help people
Antonyms
How Attentive
- Archaic
1
9.1
- Archaic
11
7.4
136
2.8
422
1.0
- UK
14
5.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
gentleman's + gentleman
The possessive structure signals a relationship to a 'gentleman' so learners can infer the phrase refers to someone associated with a gentleman, providing some compositional clue. However, the specific role 'male personal servant/valet' is culturally specific and somewhat idiomatic/archaic, so the exact occupational meaning is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
Gentleman's gentleman comes from the simple image of a rich gentleman who kept his own gentleman, a personal man who dressed him, carried his things and looked after his needs. That's why the phrase means 'a male personal servant' or 'valet'.