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# tarzan

noun (Tarzan — a name; a Tarzan — informal)

«tarzan» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (a name) Tarzan is a made-up character created by the American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs in the novel "Tarzan of the Apes" (1912): a boy raised by apes in the African jungle who grows up very strong and swings through the trees on vines. Disney made a cartoon film of him in 1999. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tarzan/#m1)
2. (informal) A Tarzan is a very strong, muscly man, often said as a joke. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tarzan/#m2)

### In the lessons

In stories and films Tarzan is famous for his loud yell and swinging on vines; his friend is Jane. In everyday talk people jokingly call someone "Tarzan" when they show off their strength or swing on a rope. Today some people point out that the old books show Africa and Africans in an unfair way. Phrases: "Tarzan yell", "Tarzan swing", "Me Tarzan, you Jane" (a famous film joke, not in the book).

### Examples

- Tarzan swung through the jungle on long vines. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tarzan/#x1)
- My brother did a Tarzan yell from the climbing frame. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tarzan/#x2)
- In the story, Tarzan is raised by apes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tarzan/#x3)
- Disney's "Tarzan" has songs by Phil Collins. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tarzan/#x4)
- "Okay, Tarzan, put the sofa down," laughed Mum. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tarzan/#x5)
- We tied a Tarzan swing to the big oak tree. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tarzan/#x6)
- Tarzan and Jane meet in the jungle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tarzan/#x7)

### Note

A name, so it is written with a capital T. It is a fictional character, not a real person. A "Tarzan swing" or "rope swing" is a rope tied to a branch.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «tarzan» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tarzan/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«tarzan» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/tarzan.html) on Mova free.