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Glite Dictionary
William Tell

William Tell

4 7.8
A Swiss folk hero famous for shooting an apple off his son's head with a crossbow
  • proper noun
: Guillermo Tell
  • Many operas and books recount the exploits of William Tell and his famous crossbow shot.

Examples

  • The legend of William Tell symbolizes resistance against tyranny in Swiss culture.

  • The story of William Tell is well-known in Switzerland.

  • Tourists in Switzerland often visit sites associated with William Tell.

  • Did you hear about William Tell and his legendary shot?

  • Many operas and books recount the exploits of William Tell and his famous crossbow shot.

  • The legend of William Tell symbolizes resistance against tyranny in Swiss culture.

  • Tourists in Switzerland often visit sites associated with William Tell.

Synonyms

Tell
vsWilliam Tell
  • Literature
1 9.2

A legendary Swiss hero who shot an apple off his son's head with a crossbow

is the full formal name for the same legendary Swiss folk hero

Surface Forms

William Tell main

Morphology

William + Tell

This is a proper name referring to a specific cultural/legendary figure; the constituent words (a given name 'William' and the surname 'Tell' or the verb 'tell') do not compose to yield the story of a Swiss folk hero. Understanding this MWE requires cultural/world knowledge rather than knowledge of the individual words, so a B1 learner would not be able to infer the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

William Tell is a legend about a brave man who was forced to shoot an apple off his son's head with a crossbow without hurting him. One popular story says this daring act showed he would not obey an unfair ruler, and that image made his name mean 'standing up to a ruler' and 'bravery' today.