oat opera

English

Alternative forms

• oat-opera

Pronunciation

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Noun

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

• (theatrical production, film, etc. depicting the Old West): oater
• horse opera