J. Edgar Hoover
22
6.3
- proper noun
- /ˈdʒeɪ ˈɛdɡər ˈhuːvər/
- In his memoir, he discusses the challenges he faced as J. Edgar Hoover.
Examples
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Get me J. Edgar Hoover.
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J. Edgar Hoover was known for his controversial leadership of the J. Edgar Hoover.
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Now, I may be no J. Edgar Hoover, but I am the law in Tarker's Mills.
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Many historical documents reference J. Edgar Hoover's role in the civil rights movement.
Surface Forms
Morphology
J. + Edgar + Hoover
This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; the constituent parts ('J.', 'Edgar', 'Hoover') are arbitrary name elements and do not compose to give the biographical meaning (FBI director). A B1 learner who knows the individual name tokens would not be able to infer the referent or its properties without prior cultural/historical knowledge, so the expression is non-compositional.
Etymology
J. Edgar Hoover was the man who became the 'first director' of the 'FBI' and ran it for almost fifty years. He built a strong agency and kept secret files on many people, so his name often brings to mind a powerful, controlling police leader today.