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I've known that "Oh boy" is similar to "Oh my goodness", but can I use it when speaking to a girl?

Also, what are the popular alternatives?

Wenfang Du
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    Exclamatory *Oh boy!* is even more "dated" than *[Oh] man!*. I suggest you avoid them both, but I don't think the literal gender reference of the words themselves has any relevance to the sex of the speaker, or whoever they might be addressing. – FumbleFingers Aug 29 '21 at 11:34
  • @FumbleFingers What're the recommended alternatives? – Wenfang Du Aug 29 '21 at 12:28
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    *Gosh! Wow! Crumbs! Golly! Land sakes and lawks a mussy!* - there are any number of such exclamations. Most of them are at least "dated", if not positively "antiquated". But I suggest you copy whatever the people (ideally, of about your own age) around you say ***today***, rather than what you might find in books written decades or centuries ago. – FumbleFingers Aug 29 '21 at 12:37
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    I used to work with a Welsh guy who had spent several years teaching in Bermuda before coming back the the UK. It was quite normal for him to start a phone call by saying (in a Welsh accent!) "Hi Brenda man, is Susan man there?" – alephzero Aug 29 '21 at 18:15
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    It's probably similar to asking whether you can say "OMG" (the less polite one) when not speaking to God. – NotThatGuy Aug 29 '21 at 22:27
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    @Wenfang It depends on the context. I use "oh boy" pretty often in a negative context, where, depending on the situation, I could replace it with "oh no", "welp", "oof", "ugh", "yikes", or "aw man". If you're using it in a positive context, that sounds more dated to me, but I'd replace it with like, "nice", "alright", "hell yeah", or "sweet". For context, I'm a millennial Maritimer, although some of these might be a bit idiosyncratic, idk. – wjandrea Aug 29 '21 at 23:32
  • Let's not even get started on "Oh man!" – Bohemian Aug 30 '21 at 01:47
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    I suggest rather than using dated expressions, or showing yourself to be overly conventional by using the current vernacular, you show yourself to be ahead of the times by using the exclamations of the _future_: "Streets ahead!" (for good things) and "Streets behind!" (for bad things). – John Smith Aug 30 '21 at 05:49
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    Holy cow, people sure are down on saying oh boy all of a sudden. – barbecue Aug 30 '21 at 12:06
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    I think usage of "oh boy" must vary by location. I am quite sure that in Philadelphia, where I live, it is still common, and does not sound dated or fussy. – MJD Aug 30 '21 at 12:48
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    People say "Oh god" when they are not speaking to a god – Aaron F Aug 30 '21 at 13:56
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    I am not sure why *Oh Boy* is being called dated. Who says it's dated? Uncommon, yes. Dated? I would not call it that. – EllieK - Don't support her Aug 30 '21 at 17:21
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    @WenfangDu - How are you planning to use it when speaking to a girl? It's an exclamation, generally directed at whoever may be listening. It's like *For Pete's Sake!*, which does not require a *Pete* to be present or known before it's said. – EllieK - Don't support her Aug 30 '21 at 17:23
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    Funnily enough, this is a very common slang in some areas of Brazil - just like, in english and everything. It usually carries the meaning of "oh no" over here. – T. Sar Aug 30 '21 at 20:15
  • Oh-boy-haters need a dose of Allan Sherman. Notice how expressive the phrase is. (OK, some of the other references in the song *are* a bit dated!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dgr1bV1CtQ – David K Aug 31 '21 at 00:36
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    I always wondered if "Oh boy" was an Americanization of "Oy Vey". – Steven Alexis Gregory Sep 01 '21 at 05:04
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    A followup to my earlier comment: I was telling my kids (ages 13 and 17) about this discussion, and I couldn't remember what phrase was supposed dated or fussy. When it came to me (“It was ‘oh, boy’! Can you believe it?”) they were amazed. “We say that all the time. Oh, boy.” – MJD Sep 26 '21 at 16:42
  • @MJD Interesting, whether this phrase is dated is somehow controversial on ELL :). – Wenfang Du Sep 27 '21 at 14:10

3 Answers3

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The expression is not even that dated, e.g. here's a movie from 2020 with exact this title, and there's another one from 2012.

In neither case is the title supposed to be a sentence addressed to a male kid. Note that you can also say "Oh, brother" (quote from Daria) even if you don't have one:

Daria - (rolls eyes) Oh, brother.

Jake - He calls himself brother? You mean like Brother Ted?

Daria - No, like, "Oh, brother, you're all crazy."

So there's absolutely no reason you couldn't say "oh, boy" when talking to a girl.

Wenfang Du
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Dmitry Grigoryev
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    This is the correct answer. – barbecue Aug 30 '21 at 12:21
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    Yes, the answer is very much to the point. – Lambie Aug 30 '21 at 13:18
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    It's not even dated at all, at least if you're speaking general US English. It may not be the latest slang term used by some social sub-group, but that sub-group's equivalent will probably not be understood by people outside that group. – jamesqf Aug 30 '21 at 22:03
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    Exactly. "Oh boy" is an exclamation, and as such, isn't "directed" at anyone. – BruceWayne Aug 31 '21 at 14:25
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    Not entirely convinced that a Chinese film from 2020 or German film from 2012 are the final word on current English phrases, however, as a native US-English speaker, it's still in common use in the Midwest US, and is never assumed to be spoken to a male. This gets my +1. – FreeMan Aug 31 '21 at 17:00
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You can, the "boy" in the phrase is not addressed to the person you are speaking to. (It probably started as a minced oath with "boy" replacing the blasphemous "Jesus" or "God")

There is a well known song by Buddy Holly with lyrics "Oh boy, when you're with me...".

As slang it is a little dated. Buddy Holly's song was from the 1950s

James K
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    Do you mean native speakers don't say (or do so only rarely) 'oh boy' today? – sundowner Aug 29 '21 at 11:17
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    @sundowner personally I use it every so often. I don't use it as a "minced oath" (I'm perfectly fine swearing if the situation calls for it) but I agree that it may have come from that. It can be used to express excitement or annoyance or resignation. I am aware that it sounds a little dated but I don't think people would think it strange that I use it. – randomhead Aug 29 '21 at 13:17
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    @sundowner I would only say it (as a native BrE speaker) if I was being deliberately ironic or sarcastic. – alephzero Aug 29 '21 at 18:17
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    As a non-native speaker, I often use it to show my prowess with idioms. – Zachiel Aug 29 '21 at 19:52
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    I still hear that phrase used, and I use it myself, in a few specialized contexts. For instance, if I'm about to start some intricate swift-moving task, I'll say to whoever is around me, male or female, "Oh boy, here we go..." – Lee Mosher Aug 29 '21 at 20:38
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    It's still commonly used and widely understood. It's found in song lyrics, movies, and TV shows. It's often used like "Oh no" or "Uh oh" as in "Oh boy, here we go again." – barbecue Aug 30 '21 at 12:21
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    I can say that in Texas, at least, "oh boy" is a common phrase, but only in the negative/ironic sense -- it never indicates excitement, only concern or exhausted resignation. (That is to say, "We're going to the amusement park." "Oh boy!" sounds very dated, but "Well, we're going to have to work overtime on Saturday." "Oh, *boy*..." is totally normal.) – Darth Pseudonym Aug 30 '21 at 17:12
  • @Darth Pseudonym: But in at least some places outside of Texas, it is fairly commonly used in the positive sense, as well as the negative and/or ironic. The difference being conveyed by intonation, of course. – jamesqf Aug 30 '21 at 22:06
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Can I say “Oh boy” to a girl?

The best way to understand this issue for an English learner.

When you utter phrases such as ...

  • "Fuck!"
  • "O-M-G!"
  • "Oh Boy!"
  • "Wow!
  • "Holy Hell!"

... you are not addressing anyone. That speech fragment is not directed to the person you are talking to.

They are exclamations.

Incidentally: do note that the comments that "Oh Boy" is "dated" are whacky; ignore.

Fattie
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  • While it _is_ an exclamation not particularly addressed to anyone (and thus, gender-neutral), keep in mind that that it can either be positive (like "Wow!") or negative (like "Oh, shit!"). You would need more context or to hear the tone of voice to know how it's being used, and likewise, you would need to be careful of your tone of voice when speaking it, to convey the intended message (an exclamation of joy and delight, or of resignation and dismay). – Phil Perry Sep 01 '21 at 14:32
  • ? every single exclamation in English, indeed, every single utterly sentence in English, can be either "positive or negative". ? every single time you utter anything, in any language, you have to be "careful of the tone of your voice". The question asked is very specific and clear. – Fattie Sep 01 '21 at 15:39