horse opera
/'hɔ:s'ɔpərə/
Definition
- Noun:
- A film about life in the western United States during the period of exploration and development: "Horse opera" is a slang term, primarily used in American English, for a movie or television show with a Western theme, typically featuring cowboys, frontier life, and conflicts in the American Old West.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- My grandfather loves watching old black-and-white horse operas on Saturday afternoons.
- The film festival is featuring a series of classic horse operas from the 1950s.
Advanced Usage
- The term "horse opera" is informal and sometimes used humorously or dismissively to describe a formulaic Western. It draws a comparison between the dramatic, often melodramatic plots of these films and the emotional storytelling in soap operas or grand opera.
- Critics might call it a predictable horse opera, but fans adore its thrilling chase scenes.
Variants and Related Words
- Western (n): The standard, more formal term for this genre of film or television.
- "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is a famous Spaghetti Western.
Synonyms
- Western: A film, television show, or novel set in the western United States in the 19th century.
- Oater: Another informal slang term for a Western movie.
Related Idioms
- While not a phrasal verb, the term itself is an idiomatic expression. It combines "horse" (central to the Western setting) and "opera" (implying a dramatic, larger-than-life story).
Noun
-
a film about life in the western United States during the period of exploration and development
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