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Glite Dictionary
curling stone

curling stone

1 6.3
A heavy round piece of granite with a handle that slides across ice in the game of curling
  • noun
  • /ˈkɜrlɪŋ stoʊn/
  • UK
translation icon : piedra de curling
  • The coach demonstrated how to hold the curling stone properly before the match.

Examples

  • - It's curling stone day.

    Help! (1965)

  • In curling, players slide a curling stone across the ice towards a target.

  • Each team takes turns releasing a curling stone down the rink, aiming for the center of the target.

Surface Forms

curling stone singular
curling stones plural

Morphology

curling + stone

The meaning 'a granite stone used in the sport of curling' is directly and compositionally derived from 'curling' (the ice game) + 'stone' (a rock). This noun-noun compound follows a common modifier pattern found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

The noun curling stone names the object in the sport: players slide a stone, and the word curling comes from the stone's way of 'curling', turning a little as it moves on the ice. So curling stone simply means 'a heavy rounded granite stone with a handle used to slide across ice in the game of curling'.