Gunpowder Plot
- proper noun
:
Conspiración de la pólvora
- Guy Fawkes is often remembered for his role in the Gunpowder Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
Examples
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And from that moment, the Gunpowder Plot was doomed.
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The Gunpowder Plot was a significant event in British history that aimed to assassinate King James I.
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Many people commemorate November 5th as the anniversary of the failed Gunpowder Plot against King James I.
Synonyms
670
5.5
A secret plan by a group to do something illegal or harmful
216
4.3
A secret plan by people to do something illegal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'gunpowder' (explosive mixture) and 'plot' (a scheme) transparently indicate a scheme involving explosives, so a learner who knows those words would infer a plot that uses gunpowder. However, as a fixed proper name for a specific 1605 historical conspiracy (Guy Fawkes et al.) the full referential and cultural details are not recoverable from the parts alone, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Gunpowder Plot gets its name from a real plan in 1605 to use gunpowder to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I. Guy Fawkes was found guarding barrels of gunpowder under the building on November 5, so Gunpowder Plot today means that failed 'plan' and is remembered each year with fireworks and bonfires.