Learn English – Meaning and usage of “good old”

meaning-in-contextphrase-meaning

Sometimes, some good ol' solitude feels good man.

What does good old mean, and how do you usually use it in context?

Best Answer

Good old is whatever is liked or admired or familiar and comforting which

  • remains from the past, still functioning as it always did

    My good old 63 Cutlass
    Good old Jimmy Carter
    The good old Chicago Democratic machine

  • existed or obtained in the past (or you believe existed or obtained in the past) -- the "Good old days" -- but is now neglected or vanishing or gone

    The good old tradition of liberal education
    The good old portable typewriter

However, the term is almost always used ironically today:

Good old Bob, always finds a new way to screw it up.
Good old VHS had absolutely unique reds and oranges.
The good old Know-Nothing party seems to be making a comeback.

Good old boy is a specialized application of the term: a well-regarded and 'connected' man of the politically dominant yeoman class in the US South. This must be distinguished from the British old boy, originally an alumnus of one of the prestige 'public' schools, by extension a well-regarded and 'connected' man of the political and financial elite. The two exhibit very different manners and mannerisms.

Related Topic