bell ringer
3
4.3
- noun
- /bɛl ˈrɪŋər/
:
campanero
- During the festival, the bell ringer performed a beautiful piece that resonated throughout the square.
- Salvation Army bell ringer
- Army bell ringer
- Swiss bell ringers
Examples
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I am also a frequent bell ringer.
Blog text (25) -
The bell ringer at the local church skillfully chimed the bells every Sunday morning.
-
Every Christmas, a cheerful bell ringer stands outside the store to raise money for charity.
Synonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal composition 'bell' + 'ringer' yields the straightforward meaning 'a person who rings a bell', which does not directly correspond to the idiomatic sense 'a standout success' given here. The achievement sense is a metaphorical extension (something that 'rings the bell' as noteworthy) and is not fully predictable from the parts, so a B1 learner who knows the words would likely not derive the intended meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
Bell ringer is the person who makes the bell sound. A ringer pulls a rope or plays handbells to call people to church, so the term means 'a person who rings bells'.