needle drop
- noun
- /ˈnidəl dräp/
- Jargon
:
momento de la canción
- As the lights dimmed, the needle drop signaled the start of the emotional scene, filling the theater with anticipation.
Examples
-
The needle drops and Mario Lanza's rendition of "The Donkey Serenade" booms into the room.
Fiction book (1994) -
When the needle drop happened, everyone turned their attention to the stage as the music began to play.
-
With a gentle needle drop, the soundtrack enhanced the film's atmosphere, creating a perfect moment for the audience.
Synonyms
8
5.5
The loud beat and bass that come after a music build-up
Surface Forms
Morphology
There is a compositional connection: the phrase historically refers to the needle (record stylus) being dropped so the music begins, so the constituents relate to the meaning. However, understanding that requires specific cultural/technical knowledge of vinyl playback and a specialized musical sense of 'drop', which a typical B1 learner who only knows common senses of 'needle' and 'drop' would not reliably have.
Etymology
The noun needle drop comes from old record players: when the needle was dropped onto a spinning record the song began at once. That sudden image of the music starting is why 'needle drop' now means the 'moment when a song begins' in a film, show, or event.