Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“She lived right above me, the girl next door.”
- Actor Ryan Gosling on former Mickey Mouse Club co-star Britney Spears (Us Weekly)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
nice, friendly, cute girl
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
What were your neighbors like when you were growing up? Some of them may have been old, and some of them may have been young. Some of them might have been friendly, and some of them mean. Chances are that at least one of your neighbors just seemed, well, normal. The boy or girl next door may have just been a perfectly average, nice person.
When you use the phrase girl next door, that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s your neighbor. It just means that she represents those normal, nice, safe qualities. Someone who was really wild, for example, might not be considered a girl next door type, while someone who was well-behaved, cute, and got good grades might be.
Ryan Gosling did actually live next to Britney Spears at one point, but his statement is a little ironic. Now we don’t think of Britney Spears as a girl next door type, because she is pretty wild. Gosling is implying that not only did she used to be his neighbor, but she also used to be more innocent.
Is there someone in your life you’d think of as a boy or girl next door type? Describe him or her.
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“Well, she’s not a supermodel, but I like her. She has that girl next door appeal.”
“I always thought she was just a girl next door type, but it turns out she can get pretty wild. “
“His hope is to marry the girl next door. He’s very traditional. “