Wilde, Oscar /waɪld/
(1854–1900) an Irish writer of poems, stories, and especially humorous plays. He is best known for his play TheImportance of Being Earnest and for his novel ThePicture of Dorian Gray. He was famous for his wit, and many of the clever and funny things he said in conversations are still remembered. For example, as he was dying, he said ‘Either that wallpaper goes or I do’. He was sent to prison for being homosexual, which was illegal in the UK at that time.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲