be buddy-buddy

To be overly or obnoxiously friendly with someone, often for personal gain. He's clearly trying to be buddy-buddy with the teacher so that she'll give him extra credit. The new guy needs to calm down and stop trying so hard to be buddy-buddy with us. That jerk is all buddy-buddy with people in the office—until they walk away, and he starts complaining about them.

bosom buddy

One's close or closest friend; a friend one holds dear to one's heart. We grew up right next door to each other, so we have been bosom buddies since we were kids. I'm so excited that my bosom buddy is coming to visit this weekend! Carly's my bosom buddy, so I can tell her anything.

bosom friend

1. One's close or closest friend; a friend one holds dear to one's heart. We grew up right next door to each other, so we have been bosom friends since we were kids. I'm so excited that my bosom friend is coming to visit this weekend! Carly's my bosom friend, so I can tell her anything.

2. slang Lice. Ugh, I'm so itchy—I really hope my bosom friends aren't back. A: "If you're itchy, are you sure it's not because of bosom friends?" B: "Ew! Don't even joke about that!" A: "Please don't tell anyone that I've got lice, OK?" B: "Sure. I've had bosom friends before, so I know it's not fun."

buddy up

1. To pair together with someone. OK, kids, buddy up and start working on the assignment. We all had to buddy up with a classmate before we were allowed to board the bus. The kids buddied up and walked hand in hand across the street.

2. To be overly or obnoxiously friendly with someone, often for personal gain. He's clearly buddying up to the teacher so that she'll relent and give him extra credit. The new guy needs to calm down and stop trying so hard to buddy up with us. That jerk always buddies up to people in the office—and then starts complaining about them as soon as they walk away.

See also: buddy, up

buddy up to (someone)

To be overly or obnoxiously friendly with someone, often for personal gain. He's clearly buddying up to the teacher so that she'll relent and give him extra credit. The new guy needs to calm down and stop trying so hard to buddy up to us. That jerk always buddies up to people in the office—and then starts complaining about them as soon as they walk away.

buddy up with (someone)

1. To pair together with someone. OK, kids, buddy up with a partner and start working on the assignment. We all had to buddy up with a classmate before we were allowed to board the bus. The kids buddied up with each other and walked hand in hand across the street.

2. To be overly or obnoxiously friendly with someone, often for personal gain. He's clearly buddying up with the teacher so that she'll relent and give him extra credit. The new guy needs to calm down and stop trying so hard to buddy up with us. That jerk always buddies up with people in the office—and then starts complaining about them as soon as they walk away.

See also: buddy, up

buddy-buddy

Overly or obnoxiously friendly with someone, often for personal gain. He's clearly trying to get buddy-buddy with the teacher so that she'll give him extra credit. The new guy needs to calm down and stop trying so hard to be buddy-buddy with us. That jerk is all buddy-buddy with people in the office—until they walk away, and he starts complaining about them.

good buddy

1. One's close friend. Yeah, I spend a lot of time with Pat, but I'm not dating him—he's just my good buddy. Caitlin used to be my good buddy, until she moved out of state. Ted's your good buddy, right? Do you think he'd go out with me?

2. A term of address on CB radio. A: "I'm going to pull over up ahead." B: "10-4, good buddy." Hey, slow down, good buddy—smokey's just up ahead. 10-4, good buddy. I'll wait for you at the next rest stop.

bosom buddy

and bosom pal

a close friend; one's closest friend. Of course I know Perry. He is one of my bosom pals.

buddy up (with someone)

to join with another person to form a pair that will do something together or share something. I buddied up with Carl, and we helped each other on the hike. Carl and I buddied up, and we shared a canoe.

See also: buddy, up

buddy up (with someone)

See also: buddy, up

buddy up

Be very friendly, as in He is always wanting to buddy up with me, but I don't really like him. [Slang; early 1900s]

See also: buddy, up

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

buddy up

1. To pair up and work closely with someone: Each camper had to buddy up with a friend when swimming. The students buddied up when asked to select locker partners.

2. buddy up to To become overly friendly or familiar with someone, especially in order to gain his or her favor: The new worker buddied up to the office secretary.

See also: buddy, up

buddy up to someone

in. to become very friendly toward someone. Why are you buddying up to me? I don’t even know you.

buddy up (with someone)

in. to share living space with someone; to share something with someone. Let’s buddy up, okay?

buddy up

verb

See buddy up with someone

See also: buddy, up

buddy-buddy

(ˈbədiˈbədi)

mod. friendly; too friendly. Why is that guy so buddy-buddy with me?

good buddy

n. a friend; a partner. (Citizens band radio. Also a term of address.) John’s my good buddy.

bosom buddy/friend

An intimate friend. This turn of phrase for denoting a very dear associate is found in both the Old and New Testaments. Nathan says it “lay in his bosom and was unto him as a daughter” (2 Samuel 12:3), and in the Gospel of St. John, John, often called the “beloved disciple,” is described as the bosom friend of Jesus. In his “Ode to Autumn” John Keats wrote, “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, close bosom-friend of the maturing sun.” By this time “bosom friend” was also a euphemism for body lice, and Jonathan Swift’s Polite Conversation (1738) includes the pun, “I’m afraid your Bosom Friends are become your Backbiters.” The alliterative bosom buddy is of later provenance; the word “buddy,” for comrade or chum, dates from the mid-nineteenth century and originated in America. See also boon companion.