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William Tell

American  

noun

  1. a legendary Swiss patriot forced by the Austrian governor to shoot an apple off his son's head with bow and arrow.


Tell, William Cultural  
  1. A legendary hero of Switzerland, famous for his skill as an archer. A tyrannical official forced him to shoot an apple off his son's head.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Old William Tell himself couldn’t have shot any straighter than I did.

From Literature

Finally, the film gets surrealistic and even incorporates the William Tell scene from Burroughs' own life.

From Salon

The former Marine now called William Tell has, since his release from prison, become a quiet, methodical poker player mechanically executing gambits, controlling his environment.

From Los Angeles Times

She had written: “There’s a seething stillness to ‘The Card Counter,’ and to star Oscar Isaac’s character, William Tell.

From Washington Post

There is Rat Island, nothing more than a pile of rocks with a strange statue of the Swiss folk hero William Tell.

From Scientific American