Teddy boy

American  

noun

(often lowercase)

1. a rebellious British youth who, in the 1950s and early 1960s, affected the dress of the reign of Edward VII.

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teddy boy British  

noun

1. Often shortened to: ted.  (in Britain, esp in the mid-1950s) one of a cult of youths who wore mock Edwardian fashions, such as tight narrow trousers, pointed shoes, and long sideboards

2. any tough or delinquent youth

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Etymology

Origin of teddy boy

C20: from Teddy, from Edward, referring to the Edwardian dress

Example Sentences

He’s a man of stealth and taste, a smooth talker out of 1960s London who dresses like a Teddy boy and seduces with buttery brashness.

From New York Times • Feb. 5, 2018

In 1972 Mr. McLaren and Ms. Westwood took over a store on the King’s Road in Chelsea called Let It Rock and began selling hipster Teddy boy fashions.

From New York Times • Apr. 8, 2010

Colonel and Teddy boy meet by chance, and the madman of the old regime is struck down by the inarticulate evangel of the new.

From Time Magazine Archive

In Athens a worker was sentenced to one year in prison for "behaving like a Teddy boy," a tradesman to six months for "disobedience to authorities."

From Time Magazine Archive

"They probably will, Teddy boy," his father replied.

From The Curlytops and Their Pets or Uncle Toby's Strange Collection by Greene, Julia