fire drill
12
2.4
- noun
- /ˈfaɪər drɪl/
:
simulacro de incendio
- Today, we will practice a fire drill to ensure everyone knows how to evacuate safely.
- conduct a fire drill
- hold a fire drill
- school fire drill
Examples
-
I saw you and Lisa during the fire drill.
-
Employees take part in preparatory fire drills, filing outside in orderly lines and enjoying the sunshine until the "all clear" signal is given.
Blog text (5) -
I thought it was a fire drill.
-
It's just a fire drill.
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Okay, this is a fire drill.
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It's not a fire drill.
Fiction book (2002) -
"Fire drill!" called the teacher.
Fiction book (1997) -
There will be a fire drill at 3:05 today.
-
Practice your escape plan by practicing home fire drills.
Blog text (32) -
We have fire drills and tornado drills regularly, but kids understand that the occurrence of either is unlikely.
Blog text (28)
Synonyms
257
3.4
Repeated practice to improve a skill, like in school or the army
8
4.1
A practice session before an event to check for problems
1
3.9
A practice run where people go through the steps without fully doing them
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a practice exercise to rehearse evacuation in case of fire' is directly and transparently composed from 'fire' (the hazard) + 'drill' (a repeated exercise). This noun+noun pattern where the first noun specifies the type or purpose of the drill is cross-linguistically common and will be clear to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
The compound noun fire drill comes from the idea of practicing for a fire: a short drill where alarms ring and everyone leaves the building so they learn the safe routine.