motorcycle policeman
- noun
- /ˈmoʊtərˌsaɪkəl ˈpoʊlɪsˌmæn/
- The film featured a thrilling chase involving a motorcycle policeman pursuing a speeding car.
Examples
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A true Buddha: an Iranian democracy protester protecting a fallen motorcycle policeman who had just charged him and the crowd.
Blog text (2) -
I immediately saw four motorcycle policemen turning north on Clay Street, heading uptown.
Blog text (6) -
In fact, when I finish my stunt career, I intend to apply my skills to being a motorcycle policeman.
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The smoke came from behind the hedge, and a motorcycle policeman dropped his cycle in the street and ran up the embankment...
Fiction book (1991) -
A motorcycle policeman helped direct traffic after the accident.
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During the parade, a motorcycle policeman ensured the safety of the roads by stopping vehicles.
Synonyms
A police officer who directs cars and people at busy intersections
A police officer who rides a motorcycle and enforces traffic laws
A police officer who patrols roads to catch drivers going too fast
A female police officer who rides a motorcycle to patrol and stop drivers who break traffic rules
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'motorcycle' (a two-wheel motorized vehicle) with 'policeman' (a male police officer); it denotes a police officer who rides a motorcycle. This straightforward noun–noun compounding is a regular, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Motorcycle policeman comes from the clear picture of a policeman on a motorcycle who can move quickly to 'watch traffic' and 'stop cars', so it means 'a police officer who rides a motorcycle'.