in an enfilade

9.9

Placed in a straight line so people can see or shoot along the length

idiom
/ɪn æn ˈɛn.fɪ.leɪd/

Specialized

: en enfilada

The troops were positioned in an enfilade to maximize their firepower.

Examples

The chairs were placed in an enfilade so everyone had a clear view of the presentation.
Is the artillery set in an enfilade for the upcoming battle?
Officers lined up the troops in an enfilade to cover the width of the field.
The artwork was displayed in an enfilade, drawing visitors down the long hallway.
The chairs were placed in an enfilade so everyone had a clear view of the presentation.
Officers lined up the troops in an enfilade to cover the width of the field.
The artwork was displayed in an enfilade, drawing visitors down the long hallway.

Antonyms

disorganized

38 3.1

Not in a clear order or plan

scattered

1 3.6

Not in order and difficult to understand or use

Surface Forms

in an enfilade main

Morphology

in + an + enfilade

The phrase is compositionally literal: preposition 'in' + article 'an' + the noun 'enfilade' simply denotes being positioned within an enfilade formation, so the overall meaning follows directly from the constituents. However, 'enfilade' is a low‑frequency, technical lexical item, so while the construction is transparent in form, many B1 learners will not know the crucial noun unless previously exposed.

Etymology

In an enfilade comes from old fighting: imagine a long line of soldiers or a long hallway where a shot can travel along the whole length and hit everything in its path. So being in an enfilade means 'lined up straight so you can see or fire along the whole length'.