W. C. Fields

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An American comedian and movie actor known for his dry, sarcastic voice in comedy films

proper noun

: W. C. Fields

W. C. Fields was renowned for his dry wit and distinctive voice in early American cinema.

Examples

In the 1930s, W. C. Fields starred in a series of influential comedy films.
Many consider W. C. Fields a pioneer of American comedy.
Many fans consider W. C. Fields one of the greatest comedians of all time.
Did you know W. C. Fields often performed with a glass of whiskey?
W. C. Fields was renowned for his dry wit and distinctive voice in early American cinema.
In the 1930s, W. C. Fields starred in a series of influential comedy films.
Many fans consider W. C. Fields one of the greatest comedians of all time.

Surface Forms

W. C. Fields main

Morphology

W. + C. + Fields

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; the identity 'American comedian W. C. Fields' cannot be inferred from the initials 'W.' and 'C.' or from the common noun 'fields'. Even if a learner knows 'fields' as plural of 'field', that lexical knowledge does not yield the person’s identity or biographical meaning, so the expression is not compositionally transparent.

Etymology

W. C. Fields comes from the actor's real name, William Claude Dukenfield: he shortened his long last name to Fields and used the initials W. C. as a simple 'stage name'. So today W. C. Fields refers to the famous American comedian known for his dry wit and funny voice.