“Hansel and Gretel”

Cultural  

1. A story in the Grimm collection of fairy tales. Hansel and Gretel, two children abandoned in the woods, are befriended by a witch, who tries to cook and eat them, but Gretel shoves the witch into the oven instead.

---

Example Sentences

Ms. Elias, who was 90, had sung 687 performances in 54 roles at the company, from the boy in German composer Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” to the witch in that same opera.

From Washington Post • May 4, 2020

Trick or Treat — Wandering witches and decorative rooms dominate this 19th century mansion on Hemlock Lane paying homage to the “Hansel and Gretel” mythology.

From Washington Times • Oct. 17, 2019

Robin Weigert sees parallels between her first acting role as the fairy tale villain in her elementary school’s production of “Hansel and Gretel” and the silken-voiced therapist she plays on AMC’s “Dietland.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 20, 2018

Then again, it’s kind of comforting to hear Peacher discussing “Hansel and Gretel” with one of his little girls.

From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2018

Although it uses “Hansel and Gretel” as a loose model, just as “Briar Rose” used “Sleeping Beauty,” the fantastical element operates mostly at the level of allusion, and the book unfolds as a historical novel.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 16, 2018