Jimmy Durante

3 6.7

A famous American comedian, actor, and singer with a rough voice and large nose

proper noun
/ˈdʒɪmi dʊˈrɑnteɪ/

: Jimmy Durante

Many people fondly remember Jimmy Durante for his signature gravelly voice and sense of humor.

Examples

References to Jimmy Durante often highlight his prominent nose and unique stage personality.
The film featured a cameo from Jimmy Durante, who delighted audiences with his comic timing.
I love watching Jimmy Durante in old movies.
Did you know Jimmy Durante was a famous comedian?
Many people fondly remember Jimmy Durante for his signature gravelly voice and sense of humor.
References to Jimmy Durante often highlight his prominent nose and unique stage personality.
The film featured a cameo from Jimmy Durante, who delighted audiences with his comic timing.

Surface Forms

Jimmy Durante main

Morphology

Jimmy + Durante

This is a personal name referring to a specific individual, so its meaning is referential and not compositionally derived from the parts; knowing the tokens 'Jimmy' and 'Durante' (which have no lexical definitions here) does not allow a learner to infer that this is a famous American comedian. Proper names are language-specific and arbitrary, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not be able to derive the MWE's referent or biographical meaning.

Etymology

Jimmy Durante was a famous American entertainer known for his large nose and rough, gravelly voice. He often made jokes about his look and used his face and voice in his act, so his name still brings to mind a warm, funny performer.