Perry Mason
8
6.3
- proper noun
- I just finished reading a Perry Mason novel.
Examples
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The TV adaptation brought Perry Mason to life for a whole new generation of viewers.
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Many readers admire how Perry Mason unravels mysteries in the courtroom.
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He solved the case with the cunning and logic of Perry Mason.
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Have you ever watched a Perry Mason episode?
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As a child, I was fascinated by the clever plots in the books featuring Perry Mason, a brilliant defense attorney who always solved the case.
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The television series about Perry Mason captivated audiences with its intricate legal drama and unexpected twists.
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Many law students study the cases of Perry Mason to learn about courtroom strategy and legal tactics.
Synonyms
43
6.5
A TV detective with messy clothes who solves crimes by asking clever questions
40
2.9
A made-up detective by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who notices small details and uses reason to solve mysteries
3
7.7
A tough private detective from Los Angeles created by Raymond Chandler
1
8.1
A calm French detective who solves crimes in Georges Simenon's books
Surface Forms
Morphology
Perry + Mason
Perry Mason is a proper name for a specific fictional character and its sense (a defense attorney/detective) is cultural and encyclopedic, not compositional. Knowing the constituent words 'Perry' and 'Mason' (both personal names; 'mason' as a common noun meaning stone worker) does not allow a learner to infer the character's profession or fictional status, so the expression is opaque to a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Perry Mason comes from a famous fictional lawyer created by writer Erle Stanley Gardner. He works like a detective in court, exposing the guilty with smart questions and surprise evidence, so calling someone a Perry Mason means 'a clever lawyer or problem solver who finds the truth'.