Learn English – “A man’s man” and “A ladies’ man”

singular-vs-pluralword-choice

A man's man is

a man who enjoys being with other men and doing sports and activities with them, and is popular with men rather than women.

and a ladies' man is

a man who is popular with women and who likes to go out with a lot of different women.
—- Cited from Longman dictionary.

My questions are:

  1. We usually use "men and women" or "ladies and gentlemen". But why we use "a man's man" and "a ladies' man", but not "a woman's man" or "a gentlemen's man"?

  2. Can similar phrases be used to describe a woman? If yes, what are they, "She is a man's man", "She is a man's lady" or "She is a man's woman?"

  3. Can "a man's man" be used to describe a boy or a girl? Which of the following saying do you prefer: "The boy is a man's man", "The boy is a man's boy", "The boy is a boys' man", or "The boy is a boys' boy"?

  4. Why the word "man" is in single form in "a man's man", but the word "ladies" is in plural form in "a ladies' man"?

Best Answer

  1. These are set expressions, so we'd better use them as the dictionaries suggest. However, in "Staying Alive", Bee Gees sang, "I'm a woman's man, no time to talk." Generally speaking, lady is a more polite way of referring to a woman.
  2. Here is one word I can think of to describe a girl who prefers to be around boys:

Tomboy - a girl who enjoys rough, noisy activities traditionally associated with boys

Be careful with phrases like "a man's woman." Unlike the phrases from question 1, these phrases are not set expressions. And their use can easily lead to confusion and misunderstanding.

  1. A man's man is always a man. If it's said to describe a boy, then it's said with humor.

  2. Again, it's just a matter of collocations. By the way, you can say "a ladies' man" as well as "a lady's man", but you can only say "a man's man." Why? These are set expressions.

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