Dorothy Dix

1 9.9

An American newspaper writer who gives popular advice about personal and romantic problems

proper noun

: Dorothy Dix

The advice columns written by Dorothy Dix were syndicated in hundreds of newspapers nationwide.

Examples

Many readers trusted Dorothy Dix for thoughtful advice on matters of the heart.
She became famous under the name Dorothy Dix despite her real name being Elizabeth Gilmer.
Many people sought advice from Dorothy Dix in the early 20th century.
Dorothy Dix wrote about love and relationships.
Many readers trusted Dorothy Dix for thoughtful advice on matters of the heart.
The advice columns written by Dorothy Dix were syndicated in hundreds of newspapers nationwide.
Many people sought advice from Dorothy Dix in the early 20th century.

Surface Forms

Dorothy Dix main

Morphology

Dorothy + Dix

This is a proper name (a pen name) referring to a specific historical person; the literal constituents 'Dorothy' and 'Dix' are personal names and give no clue that the MWE denotes an American advice columnist. Recognizing this meaning requires cultural/encyclopedic knowledge rather than compositional inference from the parts, so a B1 learner who only knows the words would not be able to derive the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Dorothy Dix was the pen name of Elizabeth Gilmer, an American writer who became famous for a widely read 'advice column' where she answered readers' personal and romantic questions. Because so many people trusted her help, the name Dorothy Dix came to mean a well-known 'advice columnist' or someone who gives personal 'advice'.