Etymology

old fogey

Today it means: An old and overly conservative person. Full definition →

French fougueux
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The story

  1. French · derived fromfougueux“fierce or fiery”
  2. English todayold fogey

In 1811, an Old Fogey was a nickname for an invalid, wounded soldier; derived from the French fougueux (“fierce or fiery”). Alternatively, compare fogey.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.