The phrase old fart is a slang term for an elderly person—usually one seen as grumpy, stubborn, or out of touch—and it appears in English writing by the early 19th century, with the first recorded use of the exact phrase in 1840–45.

Where the words come from

“Fart” itself is ancient

The word fart is not new or especially invented for this phrase. It comes from:

  • Middle English: ferten , feortan , farten
  • Old High German: ferzan
  • Reconstructed prehistoric Germanic: fertan

The earliest known Middle English citation (around 1250) is in the song Sumer Is Icumen In :

“Bulluc sterteþ, bucke uerteþ”
(“The bullock cavorts; the buck farts”)

So “fart” as a word has been in English for nearly a thousand years, long before it was combined with old.

“Old” + “fart” as a phrase

The combination is much more recent:

  • The OED and dictionary sources say “old fart” is first recorded in 1840–45.
  • There’s no single famous author or text that launched it; it seems to have arisen in ordinary spoken English as a mildly humorous, slightly insulting nickname for an older man.

Why “old fart”?

There is no single, definitive explanation, but several plausible ideas have been suggested:

  • Old people smell / bodily functions trope
    Some people assume it plays on the stereotype that elderly people are more associated with bodily smells, incontinence, or frequent farting, used as a comic insult.
  • Extension of “old salt”
    Others think it’s a playful twist on old salt (an experienced old sailor), generalized to any old person rather than just sailors.
  • Yiddish parallel
    In Yiddish, there’s alta kocker (“old shitter”), which is used similarly. Some etymologists (like Leo Rosten) link alter kocker to “old fart,” suggesting a cross-cultural similarity rather than a direct borrowing.
  • Softened version of something stronger
    Another theory is that it’s a less offensive substitute for expressions like “old fuck” or “fucking around,” making the insult more socially tolerable while keeping the same edge.

None of these explanations is proven; they’re reasonable guesses based on how slang tends to work.

What “old fart” means today

In modern usage:

  • It usually means an older person who is stubborn, grumpy, or out of date.
  • It can be:
    • Teasing / affectionate , when friends or family say it jokingly.
    • Derogatory , when used to dismiss someone’s views or behavior.

Definitions you’ll find:

  • “A stupid and uninteresting older person”
  • “An elderly person, especially one who holds old-fashioned views”
  • “An older person, especially one who is stubborn or set in their ways” (common dictionary sense)

How the phrase is used

Typical patterns:

  • “He’s just an old fart.” – mild insult, often half-joking.
  • “Don’t be such an old fart.” – telling someone (often older) to be less rigid or grouchy.
  • “My dad’s turned into an old fart about technology.” – self-deprecating or affectionate tease.

It’s informal and can be mildly rude; in polite or professional contexts, it’s best avoided. In short: “Old fart” is a 19th‑century English slang phrase built from the very old word fart (from Germanic roots) plus old. It probably arose as a humorous, slightly insulting nickname for an elderly person, drawing on stereotypes about age, bodily functions, or stubbornness, and has no single famous origin story.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.