William Tell

proper noun

The act of shooting an object off the top of a person's head.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. attributiveThe act of shooting an object off the top of a person's head.

    Did a William Tell type act where he shot an apple off his assistant's head.

    2018, Karen Rose, Death Is Not Enough
    2 more examples

    […] did a William Tell number on his wife, you know, with a glass of gin on her head […]

    2000, Jessica Treat, Not a Chance, page 25

    According to Zornberg, "Rashi cites the midrash that presents the game the boys are playing as a kind of William Tell game, with Ishmael shooting arrows at Isaac and then claiming, 'But I am only playing.'"

    2005, Claire Elise Katz, Lara Trout, Emmanuel Levinas: Levinas and the question of religion (page 199)

Origin

After the legendary Swiss folk hero said to have shot an apple off his son's head with an arrow.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

William Tell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/William%20Tell

MLA

“William Tell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/William%20Tell. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “William Tell,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/William%20Tell.

Source: William Tell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.