He's a nice chap [for someone you don't like?] (2025)

Hi everyone!
There's something in a course-book that's got me really confused.
From what I've read in dictionaries, the word "chap" is used to refer to a man, and specially one you know and like.
Now, in this coursebook, this word is used in a conversation between two business people who are socializing and talking about other people.
Some context:
A: Do you know xx?
B: Yes, isn't he Director of Business Development at YY?
A: Not any longer, now he's the PR manager at the National Bank.
B: What's he like?
A: He's a nice chap. You'd like him.

And here's the part that's got me so confused: There's an excercise about this conversation where you're supposed to substitute some expressions they give you by similar expressions in the conversation, and here's the thing; one of the expressions they give you is "I don't like him much really", which (according to the key) you're supposed to substitute by "he's a nice chap". I just don't understand. Wasn't "chap" supposed to refer to someone you like?
The only thing I can think of is that this person was trying to be ironic when he said that, but even so, that's quite far fetched for me.
What do you think?

It does sound as though the writer of the exercise was having a bit of fun, changing his opinion of the man at a stroke.

Yes, it is quite often used in relation to someone that the speaker likes, but not necessarily so.

Chap is a quite genial way of referring to a man, it's not unkind. It doesn't necessarily infer a strong liking but it does exclude strong dislike. "Some chap cut in front of me in the queue" would express mild irritation at a stranger. "Some chap in a bowler hat gave it to me" is a neutral comment about a stranger. You wouldn't use the term if you were quite angry at, or much dislike the person.

e2efour said:

Is chap used much in the US (e.g. compared with guy)? I had the impression it was mostly BE (and somewhat dated slang).

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I never hear it over here unless somebody is trying to do an imitation (usually a bad one) of a British accent.

susantash said:

one of the expressions they give you is "I don't like him much really", which (according to the key) you're supposed to substitute by "he's a nice chap".

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Like you and etb, I'm puzzled.

Could there be a mistake in the book, susan - could the answers have got mixed up or something?

I can assure you all that the word chap is still in use to describe a person in general terms (that chap over there). It probably depends on which social groups you frequent as to whether you encounter it or not. It hasn't been diminished to just a buddy word as yet.

Also you are paying far too much attention to the switch in the question. Take it as an error, or an attempt at humour, or to see if the students are awake, by the writer of the exercise. I don't think it matters which. We all know that 'he's a nice chap' and 'I don't like him much' are not interchangable except to bipolar people!

I have just come across the same task in the course-book - about nice chap, who 'you don't like' - and found out that there is no mistake in the book, but meaning of the task is a bit different than it had been understood by susantash. The task is to replace parts of conversations with the expressions, and the expressions in the key don't have the same meaning as the parts of conversations, but they are about similar things. So, 'I don't like him much really' and 'He's a nice chap' are used in the part of conversation where you describe your attitude to a person.

Just decided to write this post and shed the light, as the answers to this thread were very helpful and informative.