Zeppo Marx

1 7.0

An American comedian and actor who appeared with his brothers in their early films

proper noun
/ˈzɛpoʊ mɑrks/

: Zeppo Marx

Many people remember Zeppo Marx for his straight-man roles in the Marx Brothers' early films.

Examples

What a great performance by Zeppo Marx in 'The Cocoanuts'!
Fans of classic comedy still debate whether Zeppo Marx was an underrated performer.
Unlike his brothers, Zeppo Marx often played the romantic lead in their movies.
Did Zeppo Marx really have a background in engineering?
Many people remember Zeppo Marx for his straight-man roles in the Marx Brothers' early films.
Fans of classic comedy still debate whether Zeppo Marx was an underrated performer.
Unlike his brothers, Zeppo Marx often played the romantic lead in their movies.

Surface Forms

Zeppo Marx main

Morphology

Zeppo + Marx

This is a proper name (a specific person) and its interpretation depends on encyclopedic/biographical knowledge rather than compositional meaning of its parts. The constituents 'Zeppo' and 'Marx' are personal names (not semantic lexemes), so a B1 learner who merely knows the names cannot infer that this refers to an American comedian and the youngest Marx Brother.

Etymology

Zeppo Marx was the stage name of Herbert Marx, the youngest of the Marx Brothers who usually played the calm, romantic or 'straight-man' role while his brothers did the loud comedy. That's why the name brings to mind the quiet, supporting brother in the famous comedy team.