life ring
1
2.7
- noun
- /laɪf rɪŋ/
- US
:
salvavidas
- So it would be next to the life ring thing?
- throwing a life ring
- tossed a life ring
- life ring buoy
Examples
-
People drowning in a sea of debt and desperation will cling to any life ring you care to throw.
Blog text (25) -
The life ring came his way again.
Fiction book (1996) -
I grabbed the life ring, soon as he turned his back I jumped in.
-
Retrieves the "Code 7" life ring.
Fiction book (1998) -
Murtaugh sees a "Code 7" life ring floating next to the lifeboat.
Fiction book (1998) -
"Suddenly, just when they throw you a life ring, they jerk it back," Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) told the Los Angeles Times.
Blog text (24) -
The lifeguard threw a life ring into the water to rescue the struggling swimmer.
-
During the boat tour, we learned how to properly use a life ring in case of an emergency.
-
He quickly reached for the life ring when he saw someone fall off the dock.
Synonyms
10
2.5
A ring or jacket that helps a person float in water
3
3.1
A ring that floats and you throw to someone who is drowning
1
3.2
A floating ring used to save people who are drowning
1
1.9
A round floating ring worn around the body to keep a person afloat in water
How Buoyant
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a buoyant ring used to save people from drowning' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'life' (relating to saving/preserving life) with 'ring' (a circular object). This is a regular compounding pattern for safety devices (lifebuoy, lifejacket, lifeboat) and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The noun life ring is a round floating ring that someone throws to a person in the water to hold on to. So, because the ring helps keep a person alive, the name means 'a float used to save someone from drowning'.