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Meaning of "good ol' boy" in the English dictionary

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PRONUNCIATION OF GOOD OL' BOY

good ol' boy play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF GOOD OL' BOY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Good ol' boy is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES GOOD OL' BOY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Good ol' boy

Good ol' boy is an American slang term that can have both positive and negative meanings, depending on context and usage. The term can be used for well socialized white men who live in rural and generally Southern areas. If a man is humble and well thought of, he can be referred to as a "good old boy", regardless of his age. It is commonly applied to men with a family of generational wealth or prestige, or overall moral behavior. It can be used as a pejorative term, referring to someone who engages in cronyism among men who have known each other for a long period of time. Collectively these people are referred to using the slang term, good ol' boy network. The term appears in the chorus of the classic song "American Pie" by Don McLean.

Definition of good ol' boy in the English dictionary

The definition of good ol' boy in the dictionary is a man considered as being trustworthy and dependable because of his ordinary and down-to-earth background and upbringing.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE GOOD OL' BOY

good hair
Good Hope
good housekeeper
Good King Henry
good looks
good morning
good name
Good Neighbor Policy
good night
good offices
good oil
good old days
good on you
good people
good question
Good Samaritan
good self
Good Shepherd
good sort
good turn

WORDS THAT END LIKE GOOD OL' BOY

altar boy
baby boy
birthday boy
black boy
bus boy
cabin boy
drummer boy
errand boy
fair-haired boy
golden boy
messenger boy
old boy
poor boy
pretty boy
rent boy
shepherd boy
teddy boy
the boy
whipping boy
white-haired boy

Synonyms and antonyms of good ol' boy in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «good ol' boy» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF GOOD OL' BOY

Find out the translation of good ol' boy to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of good ol' boy from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «good ol' boy» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

好醇´男孩
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

good ol ´boy
570 millions of speakers

English

good ol´ boy
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

अच्छा राजभाषा ´ लड़का
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

حسن رأ ´ صبي
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

добрым мальчиком
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

ol bom menino ´
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

ভাল ol ´ছেলে
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

bon vieux garçon
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Baik ol ´budak lelaki
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

good ol ´ boy
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

古き良き少年
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

좋은 똑똑한 ´ 소년
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Apik ol ´boy
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

tốt ol ´ cậu bé
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

நல்ல ol ´சிறுவன்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

चांगला ओल ´मुलगा
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Iyi ol ´oğlan
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

buon vecchio boy ´
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

dobry ol ´ chłopiec
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

добрим хлопчиком
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

ol bun /
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

καλό ol ´ αγόρι
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

goeie ol ´ seun
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

god ol ´ boy
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

good ol ´ gutt
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of good ol' boy

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «GOOD OL' BOY»

The term «good ol' boy» is regularly used and occupies the 79.183 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
63
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «good ol' boy» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of good ol' boy
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «good ol' boy».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «GOOD OL' BOY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «good ol' boy» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «good ol' boy» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about good ol' boy

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «GOOD OL' BOY»

Discover the use of good ol' boy in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to good ol' boy and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Lovin' a Good Ol' Boy
From New York Times bestselling author Mary Kay McComas, LOVIN’ A GOOD OL’ BOY was originally published as part of Bantam Dell's Loveswept line.
Mary Kay McComas, Mary Kay McComas, 2013
2
Hey, Bubba!: a metaphysical guide to the good ol' boy
A tongue-in-cheek guide to the good ol' boy describes the appropriate attire, dialogue, lifestyle, and food to fit the image
David G. Cannon, 1990
3
Good Old Boy: A Delta Boyhood
Summary: The author's boyhood escapades in his hometown of Yazoo City, Mississippi.
Willie Morris, 2009
4
Living in A Bottled Water World: A Good Ol' Boy Speaks His Mind
If y'all want to see the world through the eyes of a real live southern good ol' boy, then this is the book for you.
W.S. Bill Melton, 2005
5
A Geology of School Reform: The Successive Restructurings of ...
Indeed, Evans delighted in playing the role of "good ol' boy," a public persona popular among male Metro High teachers. To such veteran staff members, the phrase "good ol' boy" meant someone who held to old-fashioned values, even ...
Liane Brouillette, 1996
6
MASTER of HIS FOES
As time went on and I continued to stuff myself I threw more and more pieces of my table scraps to the „Good Ol' Boy‟, who gradually became less and less hesitant. A little later I got a hankering for some music and just started singing, singing ...
Daniel Bishop, 2013
7
Texas Monthly
All you have to do is wear this shirt with pride and the whole world will know that you're a good ol' boy or girl. But you don't have to be good. And should anybody doubt your sincerity, just flash your official good- for-nothing wallet-size card at ...
8
Nebraska's Good Ol' Boy Legal System - In Session: ...
A true story of extreme lawyer-judicial bias in the Nebraska civil court system.
MS Julie L. Carper, 2012
9
The Yankee Chick's Survival Guide to Texas
He might be a Good Ol' Boy. Good Ol' Boys look like Bubba and sound like Bubba, but they are the kind of guys who, when they hear your gutter blew off in a storm, turn up with a ladder and tools and fix the thing without so much as a "you  ...
Sophia Dembling, 2001
10
True Blood: Investigating Vampires and Southern Gothic
While the clerk and Frat Boy have a laugh at this, a 'good ol' boy' in a baseball cap sporting the Confederate flag and wearing a shirt with an army fatigues design states he did not find this act funny at all. Frat Boy speaks insolently to the good ...
Brigid Cherry, 2012

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «GOOD OL' BOY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term good ol' boy is used in the context of the following news items.
1
What Are Correction Officers So Afraid Of?
Sociologists who have studied American prisons have long encountered what they call “paramilitary” or “good ol' boy” ideals, which can be ... «The Marshall Project, Jul 15»
2
'Red Hot Patriot' explores world of Molly Ivins
“She broke into the good ol' boy network and she did it with gusto and a great deal of success.” Ivins took a back to basics approach in her work ... «Bonner County Daily Bee, Jul 15»
3
Chants Of USA USA Echo Through South Carolina Capitol As …
One would think those 'good ol' boy sons of the south' would be at least a little embarrassed by what their 'Glorious' ancestors did to our ... «PoliticusUSA, Jul 15»
4
Amarillo has lost its trademark swagger
I guess this makes me part of the “cabal,” “good ol' boy network,” “Amarillo cartel,” or any number of cliched catchphrases the naysayers use. «Amarillo.com, Jul 15»
5
Letter: Ball park is not a winner for Amarillo
I think there has been far too much good ol' boy (and girl) politics in Amarillo — lining the pockets of a small percentage of entitled individuals. «Amarillo.com, Jul 15»
6
My Edmonds News | What's that structure at Salish Crossing?
None of that wink, wink, behind closed doors, good ol' boy stuff prevalent in many areas of towns and their governments. So, perhaps someone ... «My Edmonds News, Jul 15»
7
Otus the Head Cat Buzz spreading about Confederate flag on moon
... intransigents on both sides -- the intolerant "totally ban the flag" moral highgrounders on the left, and the unreconstructed good ol' boy "Fergit, ... «Arkansas Online, Jul 15»
8
Column: Who are Prescott's Good Ol' Boys?
According to Wikipedia, Good Ol' Boy is an American slang term that can have both positive and negative meanings, depending on context and ... «The Daily Courier, Jul 15»
9
American Soccer is All Grown Up
The American soccer IQ, even in good ol' boy SEC country middle America is rising. Soccer's global, exciting, fluid, and fast. It's the most ... «FOXSports.com, Jul 15»
10
New 'Terminator' limps back to the future
Soon we are questioning the team of Jason Clarke and Courtney, debating if one is a straight-shooting good ol' boy, and the other a shady ... «Bloomington Pantagraph, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Good ol' boy [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/good-ol-boy>. Apr 2024 ».
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