Boys (Summertime Love)
WiktionaryText

Etymology



From boie, 'servant, commoner, knave, boy', perhaps related to proper names Bōia, Bōfa, Bōba, from ; akin to boi, 'young gentleman', bōve, 'boy, knave', boeve 'boy' (mod. boef, 'rogue, knave'), buobe, 'boy' ( dialectal Bube, 'boy, lad, knave', Bueb 'boy', Bouf 'id.'), bófi 'knave, rogue'; and for the name, prop. name Bōvo and prop. name Boabo.

Noun



  1. A male servant.
    When the 'dipenda' (independence movement) in Belgian Congo turned violent, the white colonisators' often materially privileged black domestic boys were mistrusted and often abused as collaborators.
  2. A non-white slave or labourer; a male African-American of any age.
  3. A lower-class or disreputable man; a worthless person.
    • 1608, William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act I Scene 4:
      Dost thou call me fool, boy?
  4. A young male, usually a child or adolescent.
    The boys were playing kickball in the mud.
    Steve is a boy of 16.
  5. A man of any age, used as a friendly diminutive, or of a man who is merely younger than the speaker.
    Whatever else you say about him, the boy can play.
    1977: I like the boy. — Australian entertainer Bert Newton, to Mohammed Ali at the 1977 Logie Awards, famously unaware of how insulting this is under the US usage below http://www.abc.net.au/thingo/txt/s1088100.htm
  6. An adult male, particularly when used by straight women or gay men to refer to someone considered attractive.
  7. Male (usually adult) friend; mainly used in the plural: boys.
    I’m going out for a few drinks with the boys.
    Me and my boy grew up together in Southside.
  8. A proud parent's son, regardless of age.
    That's my boy.
  9. A caring owner's pet or working animal, regardless of age.
    Here, boys, heel; yes, Bobby, show the puppies how, good boy!

Synonyms


Interjection



  1. Exclamation of surprise, pleasure or longing.
    "Boy, that was close!"
    "Boy, that tastes good!"
    "Boy, I wish I could go to Canada!"
 
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