masking tape
5
2.8
- noun
- /ˈmæskɪŋ teɪp/
:
cinta de enmascarar
- Before painting the walls, I used masking tape to cover the edges and protect the trim.
- a piece of masking tape
And then you have to sort of do it with masking tape and, you know, chicken wire, whatever, whatever that is.
- And then you have to sort of do it with masking tape and, you know, chicken wire, whatever, whatever that is.
Examples
-
Then with some masking tape, you can secure the rubber band in place and strengthen the top of the can.
-
His ripped pants have been temporarily repaired with big pieces of masking tape.
Fiction book (1993) -
Using masking tape, I made a large staff on the floor of our room.
Academic text (2006) -
Pieces of masking tape are stuck, one on each side of the camera, on the slide bar.
Academic text (1999) -
On cold surfaces, place a small piece of masking tape on the metal surface and measure that spot.
Academic text (1998) -
I followed the masking tape line that outlined the baffle wall.
Fiction book (1991) -
I laid masking tape along the floor to mark where the cinder-block walls would go.
Fiction book (1991) -
I've marked off with masking tape the size of my paper, so I'm cropping off at the legs.
-
I'm going to protect my parts with masking tape first so I don't get gold leaf where I don't want gold leaf.
-
Piled against a wall are two four-foot-tall stacks of cigar boxes with masking tape labels across their front flaps.
Fiction book (1992)
Synonyms
277
1.0
A thin strip of cloth, paper, or plastic used to fasten things
72
2.6
A strong, wide, silver sticky strip used to fix things quickly
5
1.0
A clear sticky tape used to attach or fix paper and small items
2
1.5
A strip of sticky material used to hold things together
A paper with a sticky edge that you put on parts of a surface to protect them from paint
How Sticky
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'masking' (covering/hiding) with 'tape' (an adhesive strip); a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer it is tape used to mask or protect areas (e.g., from paint) or hold things temporarily. This compound follows common cross-linguistic noun-modifier + noun patterns and does not require idiomatic knowledge.
Etymology
Masking tape is named for what it does: painters used thin, sticky tape for masking, that is, to 'cover' parts of a surface so paint would not touch them. So masking tape means a sticky tape used to 'protect' edges while painting or to hold things in place for a short time.