Wilde, Oscar /waɪld/ BrE AmE
(1854–1900) an Irish writer of poems, stories, and especially humorous plays. He is best known for his play The ↑ Importance of Being Earnest and for his novel The ↑ Picture of Dorian Gray . He was famous for his ↑ wit , and many of the clever and funny things he said in conversations are still remembered. For example, as he was dying, he said ‘Either that wallpaper goes or I do’. He was sent to prison for being ↑ homosexual , which was illegal in the UK at that time.