oil oligarch
1
8.4
- noun
- /ɔɪl ˈoʊlɪɡɑrk/
- Literature
:
oligarca del petróleo
- He'd also been a founding editor of the National Review and a full-time ghostwriter for the famous Texas oil oligarch and John Birch Society financier H.L. Hunt.
Examples
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Much could be learned from V. Putin's treatment of Russian oil oligarchs who paid no tax.
Blog text (22) -
Many environmental policies are influenced by powerful oil oligarchs who prioritize profits over climate change.
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If you ever had doubts about whether the oil oligarchs manipulate the price of gas to their benefit, this link should answer your questions.
Blog text (15) -
The government's relationship with the influential oil oligarch raised concerns about corruption.
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As an oil oligarch, she had significant control over energy resources and investments in her country.
Synonyms
3
5.3
A very rich and powerful person who owns large oil companies
How Powerful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is transparently compositional: 'oil' specifies the industry and 'oligarch' denotes a wealthy, powerful individual, so the combined meaning is a powerful person who controls or profits from the oil sector. This modifier+head noun pattern is regular in English and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Oil oligarch combines oil and oligarch and may come from the picture of a very small group of rich people standing over oil wells and pipelines, controlling money and power. So, 'oil oligarch' means 'a very wealthy and powerful person who controls or strongly affects the oil industry'.