Jack the Ripper
2
7.3
- proper noun
:
Jack el Destripador
- Historians still debate the true identity of Jack the Ripper, the mysterious figure behind the infamous killings.
- Jack the Ripper letter
- signed "Jack the Ripper"
I mean, and even before that, you know, I mean, for years and years, you've got to, you know, people still talk about Jack the Ripper.
- I mean, and even before that, you know, I mean, for years and years, you've got to, you know, people still talk about Jack the Ripper.
Examples
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Many theories and stories surround the identity of Jack the Ripper, who was never caught.
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- Jack the Ripper still at large!
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Look out for Jack the Ripper.
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Then they decided that would look as though they were afraid of Jack the Ripper.
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Jack the Ripper still at large!
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But this doesn't prove that Slade is Jack the Ripper.
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In a way, these dreadful Jack the Ripper murders are a godsend.
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We're obsessed with Jack the Ripper, but there are other equally "outre" Victorian murderers.
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Jack the Ripper is known for the gruesome murders he committed in the streets of Jack the Ripper.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Jack + the + ripper
Knowing 'ripper' (a murderer who slashes) and the name 'Jack' lets a learner infer this refers to a (nick)name for a violent killer, so part of the meaning is recoverable from the constituents. However, the phrase is a fixed historical proper name referring to a specific, unidentified 19th‑century serial killer in London and carries encyclopedic, culturally specific information that is not predictable from the words alone.
Etymology
Jack the Ripper comes from a letter sent to the police and newspapers in London in the late 1800s. The writer signed it 'Jack the Ripper', and that name stuck to the unknown killer, so today it means 'an unidentified murderer'.