Boy Scout

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noun

a member of an organization of boys (Boy Scouts), founded in England in 1908 by Lieut. Gen. Sir Robert S. S. Baden-Powell, that seeks to develop certain skills in its members, as well as character, self-reliance, and usefulness to others.

(lowercase) a member of any similar society elsewhere.

(lowercase) Sometimes Disparaging. a person whose deeds, obliging personality, idealism, etc., exceed normal expectations.

Origin of Boy Scout

First recorded in 1905–10

Usage note

Use of boy scout to mean ‘someone who is obliging and idealistic’ usually implies that the person is naive or unworldly.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for boy scout

Every boy ought to have, as he takes up his boy-scout work, a thorough medical examination.
Boy Scouts Handbook|Boy Scouts of America
Some of them were in Indian garb, with tomahawks; others in boy-scout hats, as pilgrims.
The Cricket|Marjorie Cooke
There is much to commend the boy-scout movement as a country organization.
Farm Boys and Girls|William Arch McKeever
Her name was entered on the form and the boy-scout disappeared to call at other houses.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 147, August 12, 1914|Various

Winnie, Lady Widelands (grandmother of the hero of the night) was enormously admired as a boy-scout.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, Apr 2, 1919|Various

British Dictionary definitions for boy scout

boy scout

noun

See Scout

US and Canadian informal an apparently virtuous and innocent person

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Boy Scout

noun

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Origin of Boy Scout

Usage note

Examples from the Web for boy scout

British Dictionary definitions for boy scout

boy scout

noun