Meanings
nounwide boy (plural wide boys)
plural wide boys
- CommonwealthIrelandUKslangA man who lives by his wits, wheeling and dealing.
Much amusement at Westminster about David Mellor, a wide boy if ever there was one. Someone tapped his girlfriend's phone and sold the tape to The People. Very funny stuff—all about how knackered he was.
1992 July 21, Edwina Currie, Diary
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Related to wide awake, i.e. sharp-witted, open-eyed, with wide open eyes.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
wide boy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wide%20boy
MLA
“wide boy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wide%20boy. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wide boy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wide%20boy.
Source: wide boy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.