birdcage mask
- noun
- /ˈbɜrdˌkeɪdʒ mæsk/
:
máscara de jaula
- He replaced his old gear with a modern birdcage mask to shield his face from the ball.
Examples
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The catcher wore a birdcage mask to protect his face.
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The player adjusted his birdcage mask before taking his place behind home plate.
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A new birdcage mask can provide better visibility for the catcher.
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He replaced his old gear with a modern birdcage mask for extra protection.
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Have you seen a birdcage mask like this before?
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The player adjusted his birdcage mask before taking his position to ensure maximum protection.
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A new birdcage mask can improve a catcher's safety during the game.
Synonyms
659
1.0
A covering worn on the face to hide, protect, or decorate it
2
1.8
A protective covering worn over the face in sports to prevent injury
1
3.4
A mask a baseball catcher wears to protect the face from being hurt
A protective face guard made of metal bars used by the catcher in baseball or softball
Surface Forms
Morphology
birdcage + mask
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'birdcage' (a cage for birds, implying a wire/caged structure) with 'mask' (a protective face covering), so a learner can infer this is a mask with a cage-like wire face. This follows regular noun+ noun compounding patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, though learners may need exposure to the specific sporting use (catcher's mask).
Etymology
Birdcage mask: The noun birdcage mask comes from the wire front that looks like a birdcage on a mask, so the player's face sits behind a small cage. That's why the term means 'a protective mask' worn by baseball catchers to keep the face safe.