old
adjective uk/əʊld/ us/oʊld/
(NOT YOUNG/NEW)
A1 老的;年老的;古老的
having lived or existed for many years
an old man 老人
We're all getting older. 我们都老了。
I was shocked by how old he looked. 他看上去那么老让我很震惊。
Now come on, you're old enough to tie your own shoelaces, Carlos. 好，来吧，卡洛斯，你那么大了，该自己系鞋带了。
I'm too old to be out in the clubs every night. 我老大不小了，不能每晚总在夜总会里胡混。
a beautiful old farm house in the country 乡下一间漂亮的古老农舍
a battered old car 残破的旧汽车
That's an old joke - I've heard it about a thousand times. 那是个老掉牙的笑话——我听过不知多少次了。
I think this cheese is old, judging by the smell of it. 从气味上判断，我觉得这块奶酪有点陈了。
too old disapproving (UK also a bit old); (US also a little old) （因目标使用者为年龄更大一些的人而）不适合的
unsuitable because intended for older people
Don't you think that book is too old for you? 你不觉得这本书是给年龄大一些的人看的，对你来说不合适吗？
I refused to buy the dress - I thought it was too old for her.
You shouldn't be reading a magazine like this - it's too old for you!
UK Max really wants to see that movie but I think it's a bit old for him.
US To be honest, I thought both books were a little old for our kids.
I'm sure Isabel would like that top but I think it's too old.
- More examples
- A group of old men sat playing dominoes.
- Many buildings in the old part of the city are falling down, and the government has no money to repair them.
- As people get older, they often become set in their ways.
- It would be a sacrilege to put a neon sign on that beautiful old building.
- There's some wonderful calligraphy in these old manuscripts.
(WHAT AGE)
A1 …岁的
used to describe or ask about someone's age
How old is your father? 你父亲多大年龄了？
Rosie's six years old now. 罗茜现在6岁了。
It's not very dignified behaviour for a 54-year-old man. 对于一个54岁的人来说，这种行为太有失体面了。
He's a couple of years older than me. 他比我大几岁。
- More examples
- An adult under British law is someone over 18 years old.
- Most children in the UK remain in full-time education until they are at least 16 years old.
- How old is his daughter?
- The trial was held in camera because the accused was only 14 years old.
- He asked me how old I was and, lying through my teeth, I said '29'.
(FROM THE PAST)
A2 [ before noun ]过去的;旧时的，从前的，以前的
from a period in the past
I saw my old English teacher last time I went home. 上次我回家时见到了我从前的英语老师。
He bought me a new phone to replace my old one. 他给我买了一个新电话取代了那个旧的。
She showed me her old school. 她领我参观了她的母校。
I saw an old boyfriend of mine. 我看见了我的一个前男友。
In my old job I had less responsibility. 我以前的那份工作职责没有这么多。
Synonym: former
- More examples
- After six months of chopping and changing, we've decided to go back to our old system.
- Just by coincidence, I met my old school-mate again 50 years later.
- It will only complicate the situation if we invite his old girlfriend as well.
- The new Prime Minister is cultivating relationships with old Eastern Bloc countries.
- The new house is not dissimilar to our old one except that it's a bit bigger.
(LANGUAGE)
Old English, French, etc. 古英语／法语等
a language when it was in an early stage in its development
Both words come to us from Old English.
They have a corpus of late Old English verse.
It derives from an Old French word, apparently.
She finished by quoting an Old French proverb.
As part of the course, he studied medieval songs in Old Provençal.
The text is written in Old Gujarati.
(VERY FAMILIAR)
A2 [ before noun ]（尤指朋友）老的，结识久的
(especially of a friend) known for a long time
She's one of my oldest friends - we met in kindergarten. 她是我的老朋友之一——我们上幼儿园时就认识了。
[ before noun ] informal（用于人名前表示亲密、熟识的称呼）老…
used before someone's name when you are referring to or talking to them, to show that you know that person well and like them
There's old Sara working away in the corner. 老萨拉在角落里埋头苦干。
I hear poor old Frank's lost his job. 我听说可怜的老弗兰克失业了。
- More examples
- Dashed decent of you, old boy!
- They did a few old hits as/for an encore.
- "I can't eat this meat - it's too tough." "You old fusspot - give it here and I'll eat it!"
- He's a miserable old git.
- He's an insipid old bore.
Idioms
be (as) old as the hillsidiom 很古老
to be very old
for old times' sakeidiom 看在旧日的情分上;念及老交情
If you do something for old times' sake, you do it in order to remember a happy time that you had in the past.
We should all meet up again - just for old times' sake. 我们大家应该重聚一次——就为了重温美好的旧日时光。
of oldidiom literary在过去;从前
in or from the past
in days of old 从前
mainly UK很长时间
for a very long time
I know him of old. 我认识他很久了。
of the old schoolidiom 老派的;守旧的
traditional and old-fashioned
the oldest profession (in the world)idiom humorous 卖淫
prostitution (= the job of having sex for money)
the oldest trick in the bookidiom 一种老套但仍然有效的骗人把戏
a way of tricking someone that is still effective although it has been used a lot before
It was the oldest trick in the book - one man distracted me while another stole my wallet. 又是这套老把戏：一人分散我的注意力，一人趁机把我的钱包偷走。
old
noun [ plural ] uk/əʊld/ us/oʊld/
the old 老年人，长者
old people considered together as a group
These cuts in services will particularly affect the old. 许多服务项目被取消，这样做对老年人的影响尤其大。