spaghetti western

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a low-budget western movie shot in Italy or Spain, usually with Italian actors and an American star.

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spaghetti western British  

noun

1. a cowboy film about the American West made, esp by an Italian director, in Europe

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Etymology

Origin of spaghetti western

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

A music fan would enjoy the new album by the Ecuadorean Swiss brothers Hermanos Gutiérrez, whose instrumental guitarscapes sound like a psychedelic spaghetti western.

From New York Times • Jun. 6, 2024

The daughter is pop '80s/'90s, the grandmother, who tells tall tales as many grandmothers do, is a spaghetti western, and the mother, who is still traumatized by Iran, is a neorealist Kiarostami film.

From Salon • Oct. 26, 2023

“When I saw a Sergio Leone spaghetti western for the first time, it was the closest thing to a superhero movie for me,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2023

This spring, the spaghetti western songslinger with an unmistakable baritone threw a word-of-mouth tour warm-up show at Yen Wor, hiring a West Seattle buddy to bring a stage and lighting into the karaoke bar.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 18, 2022

“I told them, man, that’s like 1940s, 1950s spaghetti western stuff.”

From New York Times • Oct. 29, 2021