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This article 'My Partner Is Ready To Get Married And I'm Not—What Do I Do?' starts with this:

If you’ve ever watched a romantic comedy, you know the drill. Boy and girl meet, fall in love, and all seems like it will be happily ever after. Then, there’s the twist: She wants to get married and he, the man-child he is, wants to live a bachelor life without a ring tying him down.

Why is it there's no article in front of boy and/or girl?

A boy and girl meet...

A boy and a girl meet...

Shouldn't it be either of the above?

Community
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JK2
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1 Answers1

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"Boy meets girl" is a standard idiom referring to the classic romance plot. According to Google there have been both a film and a TV sitcom with that title in recent years. Your article has altered the phrase slightly to form the beginning of a sentence.

Kate Bunting
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  • Do you mean that the "idiom" originated from the pop culture? OR vice versa? – JK2 Feb 01 '18 at 09:42
  • The classic idiom/phrase is modified because, in today's world, girls can also meet boys and make, so to speak, the first move. The author is being "politically correct". It would be interesting to know if they are American and find out which year the article was written. – Mari-Lou A Feb 01 '18 at 09:59
  • @Mari-LouA Does any of you have any proof that the article omission is because this phrase is an idiom? – JK2 Feb 01 '18 at 10:02
  • @JK2 The article is missing because movie plots are like cooking recipes, the "boy meets girl" "boy falls in love" and "boy loses girl" are the ingredients necessary for making a romantic movie. – Mari-Lou A Feb 01 '18 at 10:05
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    Is this http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BoyMeetsGirl sufficient proof? – Kate Bunting Feb 01 '18 at 10:44
  • Not to mention this great song by Haircut 100: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2cat4kykzI (Boy meets girl) – Shoe Feb 01 '18 at 10:49