Tonkin ski pole
- noun
- UK
:
bastón de esquí Tonkin
- In the early days of alpine skiing, many competitors preferred a Tonkin ski pole for its flexibility and strength.
Examples
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Some traditionalists still choose a Tonkin ski pole over modern metal or composite designs for its unique feel.
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The collector proudly displayed a vintage Tonkin ski pole alongside other classic skiing gear.
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Look at my Tonkin ski pole!
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I bought a new Tonkin ski pole for my trip.
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In the early days of alpine skiing, many competitors preferred a Tonkin ski pole for its flexibility and strength.
-
Some traditionalists still choose a Tonkin ski pole over modern metal or composite designs for its unique feel.
-
The collector proudly displayed a vintage Tonkin ski pole alongside other classic skiing gear.
Synonyms
3
2.5
A long thin pole with a pointed metal tip that skiers use to help balance and push on snow
A ski pole made from strong Tonkin cane bamboo that is flexible and lasts a long time
How Durable
- UK
- UK
3
2.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a regular noun–noun composition where the first element names the material/source (Tonkin, here Tonkin cane) and the second names the object (ski pole), so if a learner knows that 'Tonkin' refers to a type of cane/bamboo the meaning 'a ski pole made from Tonkin cane' is directly derivable. The construction (material + object) is a common, compositional pattern across languages, making the expression transparent to learners who know all constituents.
Etymology
Tonkin ski pole comes from making ski poles from Tonkin Cane, a kind of 'bamboo' from northern Vietnam that is light, strong and bendy. Because the pole's bend and strength helped skiers control turns, the name came to mean a ski pole made from that bamboo.