stand-up guy / man of honor
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stand-up guy
In modern colloquial and youth language, a term for a man who behaves in a particularly decent, fair, or loyal way. It is an expression of high appreciation for a good deed.
Er hat mir sein letztes Geld geliehen, ein echter Ehrenmann!
He lent me his last bit of money—what a real stand-up guy!
The word is a compound of 'die Ehre' (honor) and 'der Mann' (man). So it literally describes a man who has honor or acts honorably.
Er gilt im Dorf als wahrer Ehrenmann.
He is considered a true man of honor in the village.
The meaning depends heavily on the context. In youth language, it is modern, positive praise. In more formal or literary contexts, it describes a man with traditional values such as decency and reliability.
Danke für die Hilfe, du bist ein Ehrenmann!
Thanks for the help, you're a stand-up guy!
In modern colloquial language, 'Ehrenmann' (stand-up guy) is often used as an exclamation or as a predicate noun to comment directly on a fair or loyal deed.
Dass du auf mich gewartet hast, war eine richtige Ehrenmann-Aktion.
The fact that you waited for me was a real stand-up-guy move.
In its traditional meaning, the word is often used in fixed phrases such as 'ein Ehrenmann der alten Schule' (an old-school man of honor) or in connection with a promise that has been given.
Er war ein Ehrenmann der alten Schule und bezahlte seine Schulden immer pünktlich.
He was an old-school man of honor and always paid his debts on time.
traitor
'der Verräter' and 'der Ehrenmann' are clearly opposed in how they are judged. A 'Verräter' acts disloyally and abuses trust. An 'Ehrenmann' acts decently, fairly, and reliably. Today, 'Ehrenmann' can be used colloquially as praise, but it can also more traditionally mean a man of honor. So the contrast is: someone who breaks trust is a traitor; someone who behaves loyally and correctly can be considered an Ehrenmann.
Mein Bruder hat den verlorenen Geldbeutel zurückgebracht; er ist wirklich ein Ehrenmann.
My brother returned the lost wallet; he really is a stand-up guy.
Niemand wollte dem Verräter noch wichtige Informationen anvertrauen.
No one wanted to trust the traitor with important information anymore.