birdnap incident
- noun
- /ˈbɜrdˌnæp ˈɪnsɪdənt/
- The reserve increased security after a birdnap incident threatened the local parrot population.
Examples
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Authorities launched an investigation following a birdnap incident at the aviary.
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News of the recent birdnap incident alarmed conservationists across the country.
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The recent birdnap incident shocked the community.
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Have you heard about the birdnap incident at the park?
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Authorities launched an investigation following a birdnap incident at the aviary.
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News of the recent birdnap incident alarmed conservationists across the country.
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The reserve increased security after a birdnap incident threatened the local parrot population.
Surface Forms
Morphology
birdnap + incident
The noun 'incident' is fully transparent, and 'birdnap' is analyzable as 'bird' + a suffixal element modeled on 'kidnap', so a learner familiar with 'kidnap' can infer 'birdnap' as illegal capture of birds. However 'birdnap' is rare/nonce and the segment 'nap' is not productive or transparent in the sense of 'abduct' on its own, so the full meaning is not reliably predictable for an average B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Birdnap incident comes from mixing bird and kidnap, so you can picture someone sneaking into an aviary and taking birds away. That's why it now means 'an illegal capture of birds'.