altar boy
noun
1
: a boy who assists the celebrant in a liturgical service
2
chiefly US
: a morally pure and virtuous person
No one expects … the trendsetter and party animal to become an altar boy.—Johnnie L. Roberts
—typically used in negative constructions to describe a man whose behavior is not entirely admirable or blamelessA long time ago she married a man who turns out, by his own admission, to be somewhat dishonest—not a killer, not a dope peddler, but no altar boy, either.—Richard Cohen
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“Altar boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altar%20boy. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.
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