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Glite Dictionary
Sultan of Swat

Sultan of Swat

8.0
A nickname for Babe Ruth, a famous baseball player who hit many home runs
  • proper noun
  • /ˈsʌltən əv swɑt/
translation icon : Sultán de Swat
  • Babe Ruth was often called the Sultan of Swat for his incredible power at the plate.

Examples

  • Babe Ruth was famously known as the Sultan of Swat.

  • Babe Ruth was often called the Sultan of Swat for his incredible power at the plate.

  • Baseball history books frequently refer to the legendary Sultan of Swat.

  • The Sultan of Swat broke countless records during his illustrious career.

  • Did you know that the Sultan of Swat hit 714 home runs?

  • Baseball history books frequently refer to the legendary Sultan of Swat.

  • The Sultan of Swat broke countless records during his illustrious career.

Synonyms

Babe Ruth
vsSultan of Swat
11 4.1

A famous American baseball player known for hitting many home runs

is a popular nickname used to refer to that famous home run hitter

Surface Forms

Sultan of Swat main

Morphology

Sultan + of + Swat

The nickname is compositionally built: 'sultan' (ruler/king) combined with 'swat' (to hit, especially in slang/baseball) yields the notion 'ruler/king of hitting', i.e. the top home-run hitter. This metaphorical but predictable pattern (king/ruler of X) is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Sultan of Swat was a newspaper nickname for Babe Ruth because he hit so many home runs. The word sultan means a ruler and swat means a strong hit, like swatting a ball. That's why the name shows his 'home run' power.