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Difference between Best boy and Best man

best boy

1. (coll.) one’s favorite friend:

  • “I was his best boy,” Auguste told The Sunday Age. “I miss him dreadfully as a companion.”

2. (Film or TV production) assistant to the chief electrician:

  • The gaffer’s assistant answers to the amusing title of best boy!

best manthe groom’s aide at a wedding:

  • Who will be your best man when you get married?

Note: Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase best people—people of high social standing:

  • There are other hotels, but I couldn’t tell you much about them: they’re not patronized by the best people.