clash of the ash
- noun
- Jargon
- The annual final is always a much-anticipated clash of the ash in the county.
Examples
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Growing up in Ireland, he dreamed of playing in a clash of the ash at Croke Park.
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Fans gathered in the stadium for an exciting clash of the ash between fierce rivals.
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The clash of the ash echoed across the field.
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Did you hear the clash of the ash during the match?
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Fans gathered in the stadium for an exciting clash of the ash between fierce rivals.
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Growing up in Ireland, he dreamed of playing in a clash of the ash at Croke Park.
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The annual final is always a much-anticipated clash of the ash in the county.
Synonyms
A game in which two teams or players compete
A fast Irish team game like field hockey played with sticks and a small ball
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'clash' (a loud striking noise) and 'ash' (a type of wood used for hurleys) transparently evoke the literal sound of wooden sticks hitting, so learners can infer a scene of striking or collision. However, identifying this specifically as 'a hurling match' requires cultural/lexical knowledge (that hurleys are made of ash and that the sound is used metonymically for the game), so the precise sense is not fully predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
The noun clash of the ash comes from the Irish sport of hurling, where players use wooden sticks called hurleys made from ash. When two hurleys hit they make a loud 'clash', so the phrase came to mean a hurling game or any fierce 'match' or contest.