matey
/ˈmeɪti
/(also maty) British informal
noun
Used as a familiar form of address to a man: shove off, matey, she’s mine...
- To which they replied: ‘Clearly not you, matey.’
- Sorry, no treatment for you, matey!
- And I thought, ‘Just you DARE say something rude, matey, and I'll be onto you!’
adjective (matier, matiest)
Familiar and friendly; sociable: a matey grin...
- He lacked the friendly demeanour and matey style.
- It seemed a harmless, matey gesture towards Wimbledon's decent, docile supporters.
- A Tory frontbencher, waiting to enter the Chamber while the Speaker's chaplain said prayers on the other side of the swing doors, was subjected to prolonged and matey chatter by the entire team of Treasury ministers.
Derivatives
mateyness
/ (also matiness) noun ...- Yes, I've said, with the casual blend of matiness and erudition that distinguishes media sociologists, the Sixties revolution brought about a profound change in our sexual attitudes.
- Certainly it's not the lame, dated jokes, the lazy writing, the slack narrative pacing, the boring matiness of the male ensemble or the overall emptiness of the film.
- They're a picture of teenage mateyness, and it's this apparently benign gang mentality that distinguishes them from the rest of their genre.
matily
- Dan hyucked matily and no doubt chewed on some hay.
- To his relief she merely chortled matily, as opposed to battering his head down between his shoulder blades with the tray.