manhole cover
7
2.8
- noun
- /ˈmænhoʊl ˈkʌvər/
:
tapa de alcantarilla
- Periodically, gases would accumulate in the tunnel, something would ignite them, and the manhole covers would blow off, one after another.
- manhole covers and fire hydrants
- manhole covers explode
- stolen manhole covers
And this beautiful image is actually depicted on the manhole cover itself.
- And this beautiful image is actually depicted on the manhole cover itself.
- Make the coin and make it as big as a manhole cover, OK?
- But if it, if you, if it, if someone dressed as an old lady falls down a manhole cover, people will laugh.
- And if you couldn't dance and stood on the seat cover on the manhole cover, the base would make you go get a load of me.
Examples
-
During the storm, many manhole covers were dislodged by the strong winds.
-
She stepped carefully over the manhole cover to avoid tripping.
-
We need to open all the manhole covers in the area.
Fiction book (1998) -
As he walks back, he spots another manhole cover at the next intersection down a side street.
Fiction book (1998) -
Before the young officer can stop him, Nick rushes over to a manhole cover in the center of the street.
Fiction book (1998) -
Especially when we visited other cities, it thrilled us to see manhole covers bearing the name of my father's company.
Fiction book (1990) -
At the top of the shaft, he clunked his head against the heavy lid of a manhole cover.
Fiction book (2002) -
There's an S.U.V. on the manhole cover.
-
The city is replacing old manhole covers to improve safety on the streets.
Synonyms
571
1.0
A thing like a lid or blanket that lies over something to keep it safe
1
4.8
A flat hard plate that closes an opening to protect the parts inside
An opening that lets a person enter a tank or pipe to check and fix things
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a lid that covers a manhole' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'manhole' (the street opening for underground access) with 'cover' (an object that covers or protects). This noun+noun compositional pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Manhole cover comes from a simple, literal picture: a heavy cover put over a man-sized hole in the street so a worker can go down. So today it means the heavy metal lid that closes the opening and keeps people safe.