donkey power
- noun
:
potencia de burro
- Before modern machinery, many people used donkey power for plowing fields and carrying goods.
Examples
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Farmers in the region still rely on donkey power to transport heavy loads across rough terrain.
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In some rural communities, donkey power is essential for tasks like hauling water and firewood.
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Not often enough, but if donkey power was the only way to do something, I think we'd get it done.
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How Powerful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is a straightforward composition of 'donkey' (the animal) + 'power' (physical strength/capacity), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes the work or power provided by donkeys. This follows a common noun+noun compounding pattern (analogous to 'horsepower') and is cross-linguistically transparent, making the phrase immediately comprehensible.
Etymology
Donkey power comes from the simple image of a donkey giving power by pulling a cart or carrying heavy loads. So, donkey power means 'using donkeys to do physical work'.