nice guy

A term that a mother uses to describe any single man she approves of and fantasizes about her daughter marrying, but for whom the daughter usually claims to have zero interest in *that* way. A man labelled a "nice guy" is often a superficially respectful and intelligent, but also frustratingly indecisive or cowardly person who won't get the aforementioned girl because he won't initiate or ask. Sometimes, the girl dislikes him and finds him boring because he always plays his life safe and fails to go out and accomplish anything interesting with it. (This is why the mother likes him.) Other times, he is a friend of the girl and desires a relationship with someone, but fails to consider the obvious candidate. (This is the most cliched of romantic-comedy cliches).