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spaghetti Western

spaghetti Western

3 6.6
A low-budget Western film made in Italy in the 1960s and 1970s
  • noun
  • /spəˈɡɛti ˈwɛstərn/
translation icon : spaghetti Western
  • But at the same time, I love Spaghetti Westerns, and I love the sounds they make, and the weird things Morricone would do with his soundtracks.
  • spaghetti Westerns starring Clint Eastwood
  • spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone
  • spaghetti Westerns starring Clint

Examples

  • While he wasn't the only maker of the so-called "Spaghetti Western," he was indisputably its master, as synonymous with the Italian-made shoot 'em up as John Ford was with the classic American version.

    Blog text (12)
  • In the '60s, they started making these spaghetti Westerns.

  • - Dude, I told someone we were making a spaghetti western.

  • - Fine, from here on out, we're making a spaghetti western.

  • I was in that spaghetti western too.

  • Right now, I'm watching all the spaghetti westerns.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • I can sit through the better "spaghetti westerns," but the classic Hollywood films have always been a turn-off.

    Blog text (7)
  • Western films, particularly Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns, have also been a strong influence in developing the film's narrative structure and pacing.

    Blog text (25)
  • Mueller continues to say Rome will likely have some role in the rollout of the film, which is a homage to the Italian-made Spaghetti Western genre.

    Blog text (28)
  • In the 1960s, many European filmmakers produced classic spaghetti Westerns that gained worldwide popularity.

Synonyms

Western
vsspaghetti Western
63 4.3

A film or book about cowboys and life in the American West

is a European low budget variant from the 1960s and 1970s
oater
vsspaghetti Western
  • Archaic
9.9

A film or story about cowboys and the Old West

is a European low budget form from the 1960s and 1970s

Surface Forms

Morphology

spaghetti + Western

The compound is compositional: 'spaghetti' (an Italian food) combined with 'Western' (a film genre) naturally signals a Western film associated with Italy, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it means an Italian-style Western. While specific cultural details (low-budget, 1960s–70s) are not fully deducible, the core sense of a Western film of Italian origin or style is transparently derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

The term spaghetti Western comes from the 1960s, when many 'Western' films were made by Italian studios, so people put the Italian food spaghetti next to the word Western as a joking name. That's why the phrase now means 'a low-budget Western film made in Europe', often by Italian companies.