He always was a bit of a lad vs He always was a bit of a boy

[Daural]

He always was a bit of a lad vs He always was a bit of a boy

Could you please explain the difference in meaning in these two sentences?
Thank you very much.

 

[ain'ttranslationfun?]

"He was always a bit of a lad" sounds British to me, and means (I think) something like "a bit of a tearaway/a bit of a wild one". "a bit of a boy" could simply mean "he's always behaved a bit immaturely." (Suggestions only, from a US EN speaker.)

 

[heypresto]

A 'lad' in this context means a high-spirited, or extrovert sort of man, and probably a bit mischievous and roguish. It can have positive as well as negative connotations.

We wouldn't say 'a bit of a boy'. ''Boy' isn't synonymous with 'lad' here.

 

[sound shift]

The online Cambridge dictionary gives a pretty restricted definition for "a bit of a lad": A young man who has sex with a lot of different women.

I think I give the expression a broader meaning, one similar to that put forward by heypresto.

I agree that we wouldn't say "a bit of a boy".

 

[Andygc]

Funny how often Cambridge and Oxford online don't see eye-to-eye.

British - A boisterously macho or high-spirited young man:

 

[Dale Texas]

I think the closest equivalent in AE might be "a good ol' boy" (ol' = old) which refers -- especially in the American South and West -- to a guy of any age known for being high-spirited and probably very fond of beer.

 

[Hermione Golightly]

That's interesting. To my mind, 'a bit of a lad' definitely refers to promiscuity as much as drunkenness and all sorts of unpleasantness. 'Laddish' and 'lad culture'/'laddism' are even worse.

I don't know what 'a bit of a boy' might mean since I've never heard it.

 

[velisarius]

Daural, can you please tell us where you found or heard "He always was a bit of a boy"?