- old
- oldW1S1 [əuld US ould] adj comparative older superlative oldest▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(not new)¦2¦(not young)¦3¦(age)¦4¦(that you used to have)¦5¦(familiar)¦6¦(very well known)¦7 the old days8 the good old days/the bad old days9 be/feel/look like your old self10 any old thing/place/time etc11 any old how/way12 good/poor/silly old etc somebody13 a good old something14 old devil/rascal etc15 old fool/bastard/bat etc16 the old guard17 be an old hand (at something)18 be old before your time19 for old times' sake20 the old country21 an old head on young shoulders22 pay/settle an old score23 of/from the old school24 old wives' tale25 of old26 Old English/Old Icelandic etc▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[: Old English; Origin: eald]1.) ¦(NOT NEW)¦something that is old has existed or been used for a long time≠ ↑new▪ a pair of old shoes▪ Some of the houses around here are very old.▪ one of our oldest traditions▪ The car's getting old now, and things are starting to go wrong with it.▪ That story's as old as the hills (=extremely old) .2.) ¦(NOT YOUNG)¦a) someone who is old has lived for a very long time≠ ↑young▪ an old man▪ a home for old peopleget /grow old▪ I can't run around like I used to - I must be getting old.b) the old [plural]people who are old▪ the care of the old and sick3.) ¦(AGE)¦used to talk about how long a person or thing has lived or existed5/10/50 etc years old▪ I can't believe you're nearly forty years old!▪ a house that's 300 years old▪ How old are you?▪ Are you older than Sally?▪ You're old enough to get your own breakfast now.▪ I'm not coming skating. I'm too old for that now.5-year-old/10-year-old etc sb/sth▪ a six-week-old baby▪ a five-hundred-year old swordsb is old enough to know better(=used to say that you think someone should behave more sensibly)sb is old enough to be his/her/your mother/father(=used to say that someone is too old to be having a sexual relationship with someone else)4.) ¦(THAT YOU USED TO HAVE)¦ [only before noun]your old house, job, girlfriend etc is one that you used to have= ↑former▪ I met up with one of my old girlfriends at the weekend.▪ My old car was always breaking down.▪ That happened when we were still in the old house.▪ My old boss was awful!old flame(=someone with whom you used to have a romantic relationship)5.) ¦(FAMILIAR)¦ [only before noun]old things are things that are familiar to you because you have seen them or experienced them many times before▪ It's good to get back into the old routine.▪ I enjoyed seeing all the old familiar faces.▪ He comes out with the same old excuses every time!6.) ¦(VERY WELL KNOWN)¦ [only before noun]an old friend, enemy etc is someone you have known for a long time▪ Bob's an old friend of mine.▪ an old colleague▪ They're old rivals.7.) the old daystimes in the pastin the old days▪ In the old days people used to fetch water from the pump.8.) the good old days/the bad old daysan earlier time in your life, or in history, when things seemed better or worse than now▪ We like to chat about the good old days.9.) be/feel/look like your old selfto feel or look better again after you have been ill or very unhappy▪ It's good to see you looking more like your old self again.10.) any old thing/place/time etcspoken used to say that it does not matter which thing, place etc you choose▪ Oh, just wear any old thing.▪ Phone any old time - I'm always here.11.) any old how/wayspoken in an untidy or careless way▪ The papers had been dumped on my desk any old how.12.) good/poor/silly old etc sbspoken used to talk about someone you like▪ Good old Keith!▪ You poor old thing!13.) a good old sth also a right old sth BrE spoken used to talk about something you enjoy▪ We had a good old talk.14.) old devil/rascal etcspoken used to talk about someone you like and admire▪ You old devil! You were planning this all along!15.) old fool/bastard/bat etcspoken not polite used to talk very rudely about someone you do not like▪ the stupid old cow16.) the old guarda group of people within an organization or club who do not like changes or new ideas▪ He'll never manage to persuade the old guard.17.) be an old hand (at sth)to have a lot of experience of something▪ I'm an old hand at this game.18.) be old before your timeto look or behave like someone much older than you, especially because of difficulties in your life19.) for old times' sakeif you do something for old times' sake, you do it to remind yourself of a happy time in the past20.) the old countryespecially AmE the country that you were born in, but that you no longer live in, used especially to mean Europe21.) an old head on young shouldersBrE a young person who seems to think and behave like an older person22.) pay/settle an old scoreto punish someone for something wrong that they did to you in the past23.) of/from the old schoolold-fashioned and believing in old ideas and customs▪ a doctor of the old school24.) old wives' talea belief based on old ideas that are now considered to be untrue25.) of oldliterary from a long time ago in the past▪ the knights of old26.) Old English/Old Icelandic etcan early form of English, Icelandic etc▬▬▬▬▬▬▬WORD FOCUS: oldPEOPLE: elderly a polite word used to describe someone who is oldmiddle-aged aged between about 50 and 60 years oldsenior citizen/senior (AmE) pensioner (BrE) retiree (AmE) someone over 60 who has stopped workingsenile old and mentally illancient/geriatric be getting on be past it be over the hill be no spring chicken informal words and expressionsused to describe someone who is old, often used humorouslygeriatric geriatric medicine, care, hospitals etc are for old peopleTHINGS/PLACES: ancient ancient civilizations, cities, buildings, traditions etc existed many hundreds of years agoprehistoric existing many thousands of years agoantique antique furniture, jewellery etc is old and often valuable▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.
