cigarette case
2
3.1
- noun
- /ˈsɪɡəˌrɛt keɪs/
:
estuche para cigarrillos
- Schindler nods, takes out a cigarette case.
- a silver cigarette case
- a gold cigarette case
- pulled out a cigarette case
Examples
-
Your cigarette case contains nothing but cigarette papers and a made cigarette.
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Why, that's my cigarette case.
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I seem to have lost my cigarette case.
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There are a million cigarette cases out there.
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I think you have my cigarette case.
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I dropped my cigarette case.
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The professor's cigarette case is gone.
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She held out a metal cigarette case.
Fiction book (1993) -
I don't suppose you've found my cigarette case... have you, Merriman?
-
I dropped my cigarette case while I was walking to the café.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A box or container for holding and carrying things like bottles
72
2.1
A small soft bag for holding things like coins or herbs
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small, flat container for holding cigarettes' is directly and compositionally derived from 'cigarette' (the item) + 'case' (a protective box). This straightforward noun–noun compound follows common compounding patterns found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Cigarette case comes from the simple picture of a small metal case that holds a few cigarettes, keeping them safe and flat and often closing with a little click. That's why it now means 'a small, flat container you carry in a pocket or purse'.