noun
codger
KAH-jer/ˈkɑːdʒər/
An eccentric, old-fashioned, usually elderly man.
The old codger uses his walking stick to retrieve his fallen cap.
Etymology
Codger is probably a variant of cadger, “beggar,” but its ancestry is uncertain. Its earliest recorded meanings already include “old man” and “odd person,” so the modern sense does not require a speculative root explanation.
In context
I'm retired now finished all together an old codger
More examples
- Grandpa laughs when we call him a lovable old codger.
- Two codgers argue over the best way to sharpen a pencil.
- That stubborn codger refuses to trade his typewriter for a computer.
Forms
codger · codgers
Similar words
- geezer
- Also informal for an older man, without necessarily suggesting eccentricity.
- curmudgeon
- Emphasizes bad temper and complaining rather than old-fashioned eccentricity.