alligator clip
1
4.8
- noun
- /ˈælɪˌɡeɪtər klɪp/
- Specialized
:
pinza cocodrilo
- At the most basic level, Makey Makey plugs into a computer via USB and lets users reassign the arrow keys, space bar, and left mouse click to objects by attaching alligator clips to the board and any material that can conduct at least a tiny bit of electricity.
- wires tipped with alligator clips
- attach alligator clips
- hook an alligator clip
Examples
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To create a simple circuit, you can connect the wires using an alligator clip.
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Now take the red alligator clips and set in the bypass.
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So I'll demonstrate that I have some alligator clips to make it simpler for hooking up.
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Cahill attaches the end of an alligator clip to the right side of the switch, completing a bypass loop of the unit.
Fiction book (1996) -
Here you can see how you can use alligator clips while you're sewing stuff together to kind of prototype and build in tandem.
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It is a little homemade black box with a series of LEDs on it and two wires coming out of one side with alligator clips on the end.
Fiction book (1994) -
When photographing a specimen held in place with an alligator clip holder, turn it at various angles to the microscope's lens to find the very best photo.
Academic text (2010) -
The technician used alligator clips to attach the multimeter to the battery terminals.
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When building a prototype, it's handy to have some alligator clips to hold the connections together.
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
alligator + clip
The compound combines a known fastening noun 'clip' with 'alligator' as a descriptive image: a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it is a kind of clip whose jaws resemble an alligator. This visual/metaphorical naming is common (e.g. 'crocodile clip' in other varieties) and makes the basic meaning readily derivable, even if technical details (spring-loaded, electrical use) are not fully specified.
Etymology
The name alligator clip comes from the metal jaws on the clip that look like an alligator's mouth and snap shut like teeth to hold wires. So, the picture helps you remember it is used 'to make a quick connection'.