old boy network en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) A presumed unacknowledged system of association between childhood friends (especially those at school or university together), used for mutual assistance or favouritism.
His hiring and promotion of senior officers rested not on merit but on an old-boy network of connections from Wall Street and the Social Register.
2007, Tim Weiner, Legacy of Ashes, Penguin, published 2008, page 7:Another BWMT member said bars have no open advertising for bartenders and no affirmative action policy. He said bars hire "young, good looking white men" through an "old-boy network."
1982 April 10, David Morris, “Highly Segregated”, in Gay Community News, page 2:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| old boy networks | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| old-boy network | alternative | lexicographic |
Relateds
male, pale and stale · old boys' club · cronyism
Synonyms
Translations (4)
pl kolesiostwo (system of favouritism) · fi vanhojen kaverien verkosto (system of favouritism) · nb gutteklubb (system of favouritism) · nb gutteklubben Grei (system of favouritism)