donkey pump
- noun
- Informal
:
bomba auxiliar
- When the main system failed, the crew activated the donkey pump to maintain water flow.
Examples
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The firemen set up a donkey pump as an emergency backup during the operation.
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Our vessel is equipped with a donkey pump to handle overflow situations at sea.
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The engineer installed a donkey pump for emergencies.
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Many construction sites use a donkey pump as a backup.
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Our vessel is equipped with a donkey pump to handle overflow situations at sea.
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The firemen set up a donkey pump as an emergency backup during the operation.
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When the main system failed, the crew activated the donkey pump to maintain water flow.
Synonyms
1
4.2
A machine that pulls water up by removing some air above it
1
5.6
A small machine that moves liquid to help the main pump when needed
1
4.1
A machine that uses moving water or other liquid to move liquid higher and raise its pressure
A machine that moves water from a lower place to a higher place
How Powerful
Surface Forms
Morphology
donkey + pump
The literal words 'donkey' (an animal) and 'pump' (a machine) do not directly yield the technical sense 'auxiliary or backup pump' for an average B1 learner, so the meaning is not fully compositional. However, the term relies on a metaphorical/technical extension (donkey as a workhorse or supporting device) that can hint at an auxiliary role, so some inferencing is possible. Because understanding requires specialized jargon knowledge or metaphorical mapping beyond basic vocabulary, this is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
The name donkey pump comes from an old image of a small helper machine that works steadily like a donkey. One popular story says sailors and workers called a spare engine a donkey, so a donkey pump is a backup pump that keeps working when the main pump fails, which is why it means 'a supplementary or emergency pump'.