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Sam Snead

Sam Snead

1 7.4
A famous American golfer with a smooth swing and many big tournament wins
  • proper noun
  • /sæm snid/
: Sam Snead
  • The smooth swing of Sam Snead is still admired by golfers today.

Examples

  • Sam Snead won a record number of PGA Tour events during his career.

  • Many consider Sam Snead one of the greatest golfers of all time.

  • Many aspiring players study Sam Snead's technique to improve their own game.

  • Did you know Sam Snead won the Masters three times?

  • He's one away from tying Sam Snead's record for most victories after 40.

  • Many players strive to emulate the smooth swing of Sam Snead.

  • In 1965, Sam Snead won his last major championship at the age of 53.

Surface Forms

Sam Snead main

Morphology

Sam + Snead

This is a proper name referring to a specific person; the biographical meaning ‘a U.S. golfer’ cannot be derived from the constituents 'Sam' and 'Snead' because proper names are arbitrary labels and do not encode profession or biography. A B1 learner who knows the words (or that they are names) would not be able to infer the MWE's referent or meaning, so it is non-compositional.

Etymology

Sam Snead was a very famous American golfer known for a smooth, flowing swing and many big wins. Today, his name makes people think of a 'graceful swing' and 'great success' in golf.