lad

plural lads

1. A boy or young man.

   The lad, his son, had obtained a Jew's-harp, and learned to play upon it the profane airs of "Yankee Doodle," "Hail Columbia," "St. Patrick's Day," and "Auld Lang Syne."

   1850, T. S. Arthur, “Deacon Smith and his Violin”, in Sketches of Life and Character, Philadelphia: J. W. Bradley, →OCLC, page 70

   1 more example

   How great is that danger, to which poor lads are now exposed, when placed on shipboard to learn the art of sailing! Five lads, training up for the seas, were now on board this ship; […]

   1776, John Woolman, chapter XI, in A Journal of the Life, Gospel Labours, and Christian Experiences of that Faithful Minister of Jesus Christ, John Woolman, […] , Dublin: Printed by R. Jackson, page 209

2. UKA hedonistic or irresponsible young man; a Jack the lad.

   I think he reckons he’s a bit of a lad.

   2 more examples

   Last night I was out drinking with the lads.

   He's rather a lad, by the way—or used to be in his flying days.

   1929, Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery

3. A familiar term of address for a young man.

   Come here, lad, and help me shift these boxes.

4. A groom who works with horses.

   Synonyms: stable boy, stable lad

5. IrelandcolloquialThe penis.

   — The lad stood to attention anyhow, he said with a sigh. She's a gamey mare and no mistake.

   1922, James Joyce, Ulysses, page 225

   3 more examples

   Mrs Glynn: Oh but there's this great bit in it. You see, there was this girl, but then you find out it's not a girl but a man! Mrs Sheridan: And he got his lad out.

   1995 May 5, Graham Linehan, Arthur Matthews, “The Passion of St Tibulus”, in Father Ted

   And he loaded the chariot with clods and boulders and cobbles that he fired at anyone who came to stare at him and jeer him, stark naked as he was, with his long lad and his acorns dangling down through the floor of the chariot.

   2007, anonymous author, translated by Ciaran Carson, The Táin, →ISBN, page 175

   Just thinking about how she would look without her clothes made his lad twitch with anticipation.

   2010, Loucinda McGary, The Wild Irish Sea: A Windswept Tale of Love and Magic, →ISBN, page 11

6. InternetA scammer.

   [...] regardless whether you feel the lads may deserve to be subjected to those types of images.

   2020 March 11, Rover, “*** 419 EATER FORUM RULES - PLEASE READ ***”, in 419 Eater

plural LADs

1. abbreviationcountableuncountableanatomyAbbreviation of left anterior descending artery.
2. EnglandabbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablegovernmentInitialism of local authority district.
3. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablehuman sciencesInitialism of language acquisition device.
4. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableInitialism of leukocyte adhesion deficiency.