Sir Walter Ralegh
1
8.1
- proper noun
- /sɜr ˈwɔltər ˈreɪlɪk/
- Ah, Sir Walter has arrived.
Examples
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They don't call him Sir Walter for nothin'.
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What's your handicap coming into this season, Sir Walter?
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(Bobby) Sir Walter.
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Ah, Sir Walter Ralegh has arrived.
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What's your handicap coming into this season, Sir Walter Ralegh?
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They don't call him Sir Walter Ralegh for nothin'.
Synonyms
5
7.7
An English explorer and royal court member who sponsored early colonies in Virginia
4
7.5
An English explorer and royal adviser who helped introduce potatoes and tobacco to England
3
7.7
An English explorer who tried to start colonies in Virginia and helped introduce potatoes and tobacco to England
1
8.0
An English courtier and explorer who tried to start colonies in America and helped introduce tobacco and potatoes to England
Surface Forms
Morphology
Sir + Walter + Ralegh
This is a personal name with a title: knowing 'Sir' signals a titled person, but 'Walter' and 'Ralegh' are proper names with no decomposable lexical meaning. The specific identity and biographical information (explorer, dates, achievements) cannot be derived from the constituents, so a B1 learner would not infer the MWE's full referential meaning from the parts alone.
Etymology
Sir Walter Ralegh was an English courtier and explorer who led voyages to North America and helped bring tobacco and potatoes to England. Imagine a well-dressed man showing the queen boxes of strange plants and leaves—this picture explains why his name is linked to 'exploration', 'colonizing', and 'bringing' new foods and crops.