Recently bumped into a girl I went to uni with. Didn't know each other very well and she was always a bit of a queen bee type, and would always try to put someone down- hence why I kept my distance.
Turns out, she and my husband now work for the same (huge) company, and in the same building. She asked me what dept he worked in etc and I told her and she tilted her head and said "oh yes, he's the very manly looking one, isn't he?".
It's not a phrase I heard used before so didn't know how to take it. Google suggests "manly" in linked to personality, rather than looks.
My husband is very tall, dark hair, tidy beard, but of a beer belly. I think he's terrifically handsome, but I don't think he necessarily turns heads in the street.
My gut instinct was to take it as a compliment but, from my interactions from her in university, my guard is up.