Nantucket sleigh ride
- noun
- /ˈnænˌtʌkɪt sleɪ raɪd/
- Archaic
:
paseo Nantucket
- The captain described the heart-pounding Nantucket sleigh ride they had after the harpoon struck the whale.
Examples
-
The crew experienced a thrilling Nantucket sleigh ride as they pursued the whale through the rough waves.
-
You're on your first Nantucket sleigh ride, boy.
-
During their expedition, they were warned about the dangers of a Nantucket sleigh ride while hunting whales.
Synonyms
42
1.6
A fast amusement park ride with steep slopes and sharp turns
15
3.6
An exciting, fast attraction at an amusement park like a roller coaster
A very exciting and special experience with surprises
Surface Forms
Morphology
Knowing 'Nantucket' (an island), 'sleigh' (snow vehicle) and 'ride' (a trip) would not let a B1 learner infer the historical, idiomatic sense of being dangerously towed by a harpooned whale; the phrase rests on a specific cultural/whaling reference rather than compositional semantics. The overall meaning is therefore unpredictable from the parts and requires prior cultural or idiomatic knowledge.
Etymology
Nantucket sleigh ride comes from old whaling trips near the island of Nantucket, where a harpooned whale would sometimes drag the small boat at high speed like a wild sleigh across the water. That's why the phrase means 'an exciting or dangerous ride'.