captain's cloak
- noun
- Literature
:
capa del capitán
- Passing on the captain's cloak to her successor, the outgoing chair thanked everyone for their support.
Examples
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After being promoted, she accepted the captain's cloak and led her team with confidence.
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During the ceremony, he proudly accepted the captain's cloak as a symbol of his new leadership role.
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He struggled at first with the weight of the captain's cloak, but eventually grew into his leadership role.
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The captain's cloak was beautifully embroidered.
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I saw the captain's cloaks displayed in the museum.
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As she donned the captain's cloak, she felt a sense of responsibility for her team's success.
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The old captain's cloak represented years of tradition and honor in the naval academy.
Synonyms
61
3.2
A loose outer coat that fastens at the neck and hangs down the back
1
4.1
A long coat with a hood that you pull over your head
How Symbolic
Surface Forms
Morphology
captain's + cloak
The phrase is compositionally clear: 'captain's' indicates possession by a leader and 'cloak' is a garment (or symbolic cover), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer a garment or symbolic mark belonging to a captain. The possessive + noun structure and the common cross-linguistic use of clothing as a sign of rank make the intended symbolic meaning predictable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Captain's cloak may come from the old image of a captain wearing a special cloak that showed who was in charge. Because that visible, heavy coat stood for power and duty, captain's cloak now means the sign that someone must 'lead' and take responsibility.