old 2

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  2

  not young

• a) someone who is old has lived for a very long time [≠ young]:
• an old man
• a home for old people
• get /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 sick
• 3

  age

   used to talk about how long a person or thing has lived or existed
• 5/10/50 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 somebody/something
• a six-week-old baby
• a five-hundred-year old sword
• somebody is old enough to know better (=used to say that you think someone should behave more sensibly)
• somebody 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!

• ➔ it's the same old story

  at story (9)
• 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 days

   times in the past
• in the old days
• In the old days people used to fetch water from the pump.
• 8

  the good old days/the bad old days

   an 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 self

   to 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 etc

  spoken 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/way

  spoken in an untidy or careless way:
• The papers had been dumped on my desk any old how.
• 12

  good/poor/silly old etc somebody

  spoken used to talk about someone you like:
• Good old Keith!
• You poor old thing!
• 13

  a good old something

  also a right old something British English spoken used to talk about something you enjoy:
• We had a good old talk.
• 14

  old devil/rascal etc

  spoken used to talk about someone you like and admire:
• You old devil! You were planning this all along!
• 15

  old fool/bastard/bat etc

  spoken not polite used to talk very rudely about someone you do not like:
• • the stupid old cow
• 16

  the old guard

   a 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 something)

   to have a lot of experience of something:
• I'm an old hand at this game.
• 18

  be old before your time

   to look or behave like someone much older than you, especially because of difficulties in your life
• 19

  for old times' sake

   if you do something for old times' sake, you do it to remind yourself of a happy time in the past
• 20

  the old country

  especially American English the country that you were born in, but that you no longer live in, used especially to mean Europe
• 21

  an old head on young shoulders

  British English a young person who seems to think and behave like an older person
• 22

  pay/settle an old score

   to punish someone for something wrong that they did to you in the past
• 23

  of/from the old school

   old-fashioned and believing in old ideas and customs:
• a doctor of the old school
• 24

  old wives' tale

   a belief based on old ideas that are now considered to be untrue
• 25

  of old

  literary from a long time ago in the past:
• the knights of old
• 26

  Old English/Old Icelandic etc

   an early form of English, Icelandic etc
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