English

edit

Alternative forms

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

oat opera (plural oat operas)

  1. (idiomatic) A film or novel depicting adventures of characters in the American Old West; a western.
    Synonym: oater
    • 1949 February 12, “Shows Rank High, But Net Lacks Control”, in The Billboard, retrieved 21 Nov. 2012:
      The fourth of the shows directly under the NBC wing is the Hopalong Cassidy oat opera film series (see box on this page).
    • 1961, National 4-H Club News[1], retrieved 21 Nov. 2012:
      WITH THE THUNDER of boots setting the stage, a group of hard-riding horsemen burses into view. This is not a new oat opera on TV, but a group which combines love of 4-H with love of horses--the Perry County Boots and Saddle 4-H Club.
    • 1989, The Time Out Film Guide[2], retrieved 21 Nov. 2012:
      A queasy combination of classic Wayne oat opera and happy jalopy jokiness a la Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Synonyms

edit