Allan-a-Dale

American

[al-uhn-uh-deyl] / ˌæl ən əˈdeɪl /

Or Alan-a-Dale

noun

(in English balladry) a member of Robin Hood's band who carried off his sweetheart just before she was to be forced into marriage with an aged knight.

Allan-a-Dale British

/ ˌælənəˈdeɪl /

noun

(in English balladry) a member of Robin Hood's band who saved his sweetheart from an enforced marriage and married her himself

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

Allan-a-Dale

Within the next few days came Allan-a-Dale into Barnesdale with his lady and her two maids.

From Robin Hood by Wyeth, N. C. (Newell Convers)

The target was now cleared for the next two contestants—Geoffrey and Allan-a-Dale.

From Robin Hood by McSpadden, J. Walker (Joseph Walker)

This was to convey a letter to Marian, and to discover how Allan-a-Dale and his little wife were faring.

From Robin Hood by Wyeth, N. C. (Newell Convers)

"Will you marry me, dear heart?" pleaded Allan-a-Dale.

From Robin Hood by Wyeth, N. C. (Newell Convers)

"By the faith of my body," replied the young man, "my name is Allan-a-Dale."

From Robin Hood by McSpadden, J. Walker (Joseph Walker)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023