Oliver Twist

American  

noun

1. a novel (1838) by Dickens.

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Oliver Twist Cultural  

1. (1838) A novel by Charles Dickens; the title character is an orphan boy. In one famous scene, Oliver is severely punished for asking for more gruel, or porridge (“Please, sir, I want some more”). Oliver later becomes a pickpocket in a gang of young thieves led by Fagin. Violent in plot, the book exposes the inadequacies of British public institutions for dealing with the poverty of children like Oliver.

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Example Sentences

Speaking on the eve of the first Ashes Test in Perth, Smith ridiculed Panesar, saying anyone who thought "Athens is in Germany" or "Oliver Twist is a season" should not be taken seriously.

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2025

And Mark Lester as Oliver Twist is a picture of cherubic and attractive innocence, exuding likability with every quavering line.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2023

When confronted with a bowl of Old Fashioned Quaker Oats or its ilk, all I could think of was Oliver Twist sadly begging for more.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 12, 2022

“Deep history on & in this site forever because Oliver Twist was born here.”

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2021

The novelist Charles Dickens felt Malthus depicted poor people as less than human; in novels such as Oliver Twist, he sought to remedy that, making poor people well-rounded main characters.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman