catching pen
- noun
- Jargon
:
corral de captura
- The sheep were led into the catching pen before being sorted for shearing.
Examples
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Workers used the catching pen to temporarily hold the goats during health checks.
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After rounding up the cattle, the ranchers guided them into the catching pen.
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The farmer built a new catching pen for the sheep.
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We use a catching pen to sort the cattle.
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After rounding up the cattle, the ranchers guided them into the catching pen.
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The sheep were led into the catching pen before being sorted for shearing.
-
Workers used the catching pen to temporarily hold the goats during health checks.
Synonyms
63
3.5
A small area for keeping animals like pigs or chickens
2
3.1
A small fenced area where farmers keep animals before moving them
A small fenced area that holds animals like sheep or cattle for a short time
An enclosed area where farmers keep animals for a short time before moving them
An enclosure where stray animals are kept until their owners get them back
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derivable from 'catch' (to seize or capture) + 'pen' (an enclosure): a pen used for catching or holding animals. This attributive participle construction (purpose/enclosure) is transparent and predictable for a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The name catching pen comes from the simple image of the verb catch and the small fenced pen where animals are driven in to be held. Farmers or ranchers would 'catch' animals into this 'pen' to 'sort' or 'check' them, so today it means a small, temporary enclosure for animals.