golden calf vs idol

golden calf and idol both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
golden calf	Yes	No	No	No
idol	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, idol is a hypernym of golden calf; that is, idol is a word with a broader meaning than golden calf:

golden calf: (Old Testament) an idol made by Aaron for the Israelites to worship; destroyed by Moses; it is now used to refer to anything worshipped undeservedly
idol: a material effigy that is worshipped

Other hypernyms of golden calf include god, graven image.

golden calf (noun)	idol (noun)
(Old Testament) an idol made by Aaron for the Israelites to worship; destroyed by Moses; it is now used to refer to anything worshipped undeservedly	a material effigy that is worshipped
	an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept
	someone who is adored blindly and excessively