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boy-scout

boy scout

noun boy-SKOOT Rare
People & Society Community

Origin: Borrowed from English 'boy scout'.

Usage Note

Boy-scout (also written boy scout) was the standard French term before scout became more common. It can be used figuratively — with mild irony — to describe someone who is naively well-intentioned or excessively law-abiding: il est un peu boy-scout ('he's a bit of a goody-goody'). The plural is des boy-scouts.

Examples

"Mon frère est boy-scout depuis l'âge de dix ans."

Natural Translation

My brother has been a boy scout since the age of ten.

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