cleanup crew
8
2.4
- noun
- /ˈkliːnʌp kruː/
:
equipo de limpieza
- After the concert ended, the cleanup crew immediately started picking up the trash left behind.
- get a cleanup crew
- send a cleanup crew
- call the cleanup crew
Cleaning up the road took a little longer than expected, mostly because the cleanup crew was like, I'll, oh actually.
- Cleaning up the road took a little longer than expected, mostly because the cleanup crew was like, I'll, oh actually.
Examples
-
The Red Cross advised Tuesday that New Yorkers should stay safe and only leave their homes if necessary, so as to keep the roads clear for first responders and cleanup crews.
Blog text (12) -
A member of the cleanup crew removes beach sand that was left on the streets in Long Beach, New York, after Hurricane Sandy passed through on Oct. 30.
Blog text (13) -
You guys have some sort of emergency cleanup crew ?"
-
See, I go at it even after the cleanup crew have done their work.
-
Or are you also on the cleanup crew ?
-
We're on the cleanup crew.
-
And I expect some of you to join the cleanup crew.
Fiction book (1996) -
The cleanup crew made their way outside when the work was done.
Fiction book (1991) -
We need to keep some cleanup crews around afterwards.
-
Tell the Agent we need a cleanup crew here ASAP.
Synonyms
∞
1.3
A group of people who work together to do a job, like running a ship or making a film
A group of people who pick up litter and remove debris after an event or disaster
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a group of people assigned to clean up' is directly and compositionally derived from 'cleanup' (the activity of cleaning) + 'crew' (a group or team). This noun+noun compounding pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Cleanup crew shows a simple picture: a crew with brooms and bags doing a clean up after a party, storm, or accident. So it means 'a group of people who are sent to clean a place'.