核心畫面

One way to hold this word: a finger pointed at a man across the street, plus a shrug. The speaker does not know his name and is not going to look for one. Everything else the word does is the shrug filling up with extra content — his age, or his reputation.

可以想成這樣一個畫面:你朝街對面一個男人抬了抬下巴,說「那個男的」。你不知道他叫什麼,也沒打算去問。這個字最原始的動更多收起可以想成這樣一個畫面:你朝街對面一個男人抬了抬下巴,說「那個男的」。你不知道他叫什麼,也沒打算去問。這個字最原始的動作就是這個「指一下」。後面的各種意思,都像是那一下手勢裡多裝了一點東西:有時候裝的是年紀,有時候裝的是這個人在別人嘴裡的評價。

From the word’s history

Wiktionary traces geezer to guiser, a person who goes about in costume or disguise. That fits the shrug: the word starts with someone whose real identity is not on show.

Wiktionary 把 geezer 追到 guiser——穿上戲服、把自己裝扮起來的人。這條線索正好對得上那個「指一下」的畫面:一開始指的,就是一個看不清楚底細的人。

Wiktionary entry supplied in this packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1015380281): "From guiser."

Two branches

隨口指的那個男的(英式、愛爾蘭式)

這一支最貼近核心畫面,幾乎沒有加東西:就是「那個男的」。

noun · C1

A man. British and Irish speakers use this word for any man at all, in the same very casual way that American speakers say guy.

男的;那個傢伙

老頭(美式、加拿大)

一樣是那個「指一下」,只是這一指把年紀也一起指了出來,而且常帶一點嫌他固執、跟不上時代的意思。

noun · C1

An old man. It is a casual, joking word that picks the man out by his age, and it usually hints that he is grumpy or old-fashioned.

老頭;老傢伙