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Glite Dictionary
paper chase

paper chase

7.7
A game where some players run ahead leaving bits of paper while others follow to catch them before the finish
  • noun
  • /ˈpeɪpər tʃeɪs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : carrera de papel
  • The students organized a fun paper chase that had everyone running around the campus trying to catch the hares.

Examples

  • Knowin' you on that paper chase.

    All Eyez on Me (2017)

  • The Paper Chase?

    The Sum of All Fears (2002)

  • The Cross Country Club organized horse races and horseback "paper chases."

    Academic text (1994)

  • Yesterday, we participated in a thrilling paper chase in the park where we had to follow the trail of paper left by the hares.

  • During the annual festival, a popular paper chase took place, with participants racing to collect the pieces of paper scattered throughout the field.

Synonyms

hare and hounds
vspaper chase
  • UK
8.8

A running game where some runners leave a trail and others follow to catch them

is the same game but named using a different traditional expression

Surface Forms

paper chase singular
paper chases plural

Morphology

paper + chase

The combination 'paper' + 'chase' clearly signals a pursuit involving paper, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to some kind of chasing activity with paper. However, the specific conventional game (hares leaving a paper trail for hounds to follow) is a culturalized, more specific sense that is not fully predictable from the parts alone, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Paper chase comes from an old running game where some players, called 'hares', ran ahead and dropped bits of paper to make a trail while the others started the chase. That's why 'paper chase' now means a game where one group leaves a paper trail and the other group follows to catch them.