good old boy

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noun Informal.

a male who embodies the unsophisticated good fellowship and sometimes boisterous sociability regarded as typical of white males of small towns and rural areas of the South.

a person who belongs to a network of friends and associates with close ties of loyalty and mutual support.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also good ol' boy

[ohl], /oʊl/, good ole boy

[ohl]. /oʊl/.

Origin of good old boy

First recorded in 1970–75

OTHER WORDS FROM good old boy

good old boyism, noun

Words nearby good old boy

good off, good offices, good-oh, good oil, good ol' boy, good old boy, good people, good question, Goodrich, good riddance, goods

How to use good old boy in a sentence

His message was he was a good old boy from Arkansas who knew what it was like to grow up in a family that struggled.
Hillary’s Doomed if She Can’t Learn to Talk About Her Privilege|Keli Goff|June 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Republicans hated Clinton, but he was Southern and enough of a good old boy that he cut across those lines to some extent.
Rick Perry: Red-State Warrior|Michael Tomasky|August 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST
And as clear evidence of voter desire to the shake up the good old boy network in politics, women ruled the night.
Women Rule Primary Night|Mark McKinnon|June 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST
They patted the barrel and the wheels, and ran their hands along the shining bronze, saying, "Good old boy!"
In Hostile Red|Joseph Altsheler

"Your hand upon it, my good old boy," whispered the dying hunter, his breath now almost gone.
Burl|Morrison Heady
The good old boy pranced joyfully and made a charge at the door.
The Woman-Haters|Joseph C. Lincoln
But the debt's all paid now and the good old boy is lying at death's door as a result.
Molly Brown's Senior Days|Nell Speed
"I owe you one, good old boy," he said, stooping to pat the words out on the St. Bernard's head.
The King of Arcadia|Francis Lynde