barrage balloon
- noun
- Archaic
:
globo de barrera
- There's just been a change in the disposition of the barrage balloons over Tokyo.
Examples
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Barrage balloons over the Mitsubishi factory.
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Then your fighters would be free to operate behind them over Kent and Sussex, Right up to the barrage balloons in the suburbs.
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I'm interested to hear you say that-- it's a barrage balloon.
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Barrage balloons over large steel plant.
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We've got to get it all in fighting shape, like a barrage balloon.
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The weather, shore installations, barrage balloon positions and the number location of Japanese ships in the bay.
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Don't forget about the barrage balloons in daylight too.
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Putting a barrage balloon on it would be like-- like putting a lightweight jockey on an elephant?
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It's a barrage balloon, [Boyd]
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During World War II, London was defended by barrage balloons to deter enemy aircraft from flying low.
Synonyms
A balloon with a tail that keeps it facing the wind
How Big
- Archaic
- Archaic
28
5.7
176
1.0
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally related to its parts: a 'barrage balloon' is literally a balloon used in a defensive barrage or to create a barrier, so a learner who knows 'barrage' and 'balloon' can grasp the general idea. However, the precise military function (being cable-tethered to deter low-flying aircraft) is specialized and not fully predictable from the words alone, so the transparency is partial.
Etymology
Barrage balloon comes from wartime use: large balloons, held by cables and set in a line like a floating 'barrage' or barrier, made a clear picture of obstacles in the air. That's why a barrage balloon means a big balloon held by cables to block or scare away low-flying enemy planes.