old-boy network

American  

[ohld-boi] / ˈoʊldˈbɔɪ /

noun

1. an exclusive network that links members of a profession, social class, or organization or the alumni of a particular school through which the individuals assist one another in business, politics, etc.

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old boy network British  

noun

1. informal the appointment to power of former pupils of the same small group of public schools or universities

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old boy network Cultural  

1. A set of relationships based on past friendship or acquaintance that sometimes replaces or undermines official organizations: “He didn't deserve that promotion; he got it because of his connections to the old boy network.”

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Etymology

Origin of old-boy network

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

He’s part of the old-boy network that works to protect companies like DuPont.

From Washington Times • Nov. 20, 2019

Patsy Cline, who died in a plane crash the year before Parton got to town, had recently challenged the industry’s old-boy network, in which women almost never headlined shows.

From The Guardian • Jun. 25, 2017

No other college combines the intimate academic setting and broad curriculum of a LAC with a potent old-boy network.

From Economist • Oct. 29, 2015

In a January white paper, the airline coalition detailed how the old-boy network in the three gulf city-states intertwines government with the airlines.

From Washington Post • Aug. 4, 2015

He reminds us that the SAT was viewed, upon its introduction, as a liberal reform — a breakthrough for meritocracy, a way to jettison the old-boy network that fenced out minorities and nonlegacies.

From New York Times • Mar. 3, 2011