pipe of peace
- noun
- US
:
pipa de la paz
- Before concluding the treaty, the leaders smoked the pipe of peace to symbolize their commitment to harmony.
Examples
-
They shared the mouthpiece, and it was the pipe of peace between them.
Fiction book (1990) -
During the ceremony, they passed the pipe of peace around the circle to signify their agreement.
-
The pipe of peace is often used in Native American traditions to signify friendly relations between different tribes.
Synonyms
3
6.8
A decorated pipe smoked in a special ceremony by some Native American groups to show peace or agreement
1
9.9
A decorated pipe that some Native American groups smoke in ceremonies to show peace
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'pipe' (a smoking tube) combined with 'of peace' signals a pipe associated with or used for peace-making. The syntactic 'of' relation and the straightforward association between a pipe and the concept of peace make the MWE immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows the component words, even if they lack cultural specifics.
Etymology
Pipe of peace comes from a decorated pipe used by some Native American groups, where leaders smoked it together to show peace and 'agreement'. So, passing the pipe became a clear sign that people agreed and wanted to stop fighting.