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Carry Nation

Carry Nation

1 9.4
An American woman who raids bars and smashes bottles of alcohol with a hatchet
  • proper noun
  • /ˈkæri ˈneɪʃən/
: Carry Nation
  • One of the most famous figures in the temperance movement was Carry Nation.

Examples

  • Many temperance supporters idolized Carry Nation for her uncompromising stance against alcohol.

  • Carry Nation became famous for her bold attacks on illegal saloons during the temperance movement.

  • The image of Carry Nation wielding a hatchet became a symbol of the prohibition era.

  • In the early 1900s, Carry Nation became known for her radical protests against alcohol.

  • Many temperance supporters idolized Carry Nation for her uncompromising stance against alcohol.

  • The image of Carry Nation wielding a hatchet became a symbol of the prohibition era.

  • Carry Nation became famous for her bold attacks on illegal saloons during the temperance movement.

Synonyms

Carrie Nation
vsCarry Nation
1 9.5

An American activist who fought against alcohol and attacked bars with a hatchet

has identical historical identity but uses an alternate spelling of the name

Surface Forms

Morphology

Carry + Nation

This is a proper name referring to a historical person, so the meaning is not compositionally built from the constituent words 'carry' and 'nation'. A B1 learner who knows the literal words would not be able to infer that it names a US prohibitionist; personal names are arbitrary and language-specific, making the expression unpredictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Carry Nation is the name of an American woman who became famous for walking into bars and smashing bottles with a hatchet to fight alcohol. That strong image made her a symbol of the 'temperance movement', which is why people still remember her name today.