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one-hit wonder. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
one-hit wonder, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
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English
Pronunciation
Noun
one-hit wonder (plural one-hit wonders)
- (idiomatic) A recording artist known for only one hit song, especially after failing at subsequent attempts at success.
- Coordinate terms: no-hit wonder, two-hit wonder
2003 September 21, Jon Caramanica, “Music: When Rap Sounds Anything but Urban”, in New York Times, retrieved 3 Aug. 2009:Eleven years ago, Arrested Development became one of Southern hip-hop's first crossover successes with “Tennessee,” a wistful, bohemian-influenced song about the scars of history. But the group was a one-hit wonder.
- (idiomatic, by extension) A person or group known for achieving only a single major accomplishment.
1990 February 19, S. C. Gwynne, “Two Sides of a Giant”, in Time:The European company is no one-hit wonder. The company has another best seller in its J-class car, sold as a Vauxhall Cavalier.
- (slang, marijuana subculture) An instance of achieving a high from the first hit.
Usage notes
- The first sense sometimes refers to the song, rather than the musical artist.
Translations
a person or group known for achieving only a single major accomplishment
See also