pride of California
- noun
- US
- She admired the blossoming pride of California lining the path through the botanical garden.
Examples
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The pride of California adds vibrant color to the garden each spring.
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Many horticulturists recommend planting pride of California for its striking appearance and resilience.
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The pride of California blooms beautifully in spring.
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Have you seen the pride of California in the garden?
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Many horticulturists recommend planting pride of California for its striking appearance and resilience.
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She admired the blossoming pride of California lining the path through the botanical garden.
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The pride of California adds vibrant color to the garden each spring.
Synonyms
A bushy California plant that lives many years with large pink or violet flowers grown in gardens
Surface Forms
Morphology
pride + of + California
The constituents 'pride' and 'of California' transparently convey the idea of something that is a source of pride or associated with California, so a learner can infer a positive association. However, the specific lexicalized meaning referring to a particular shrubby perennial plant is not predictable from the parts alone, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Pride of California probably comes from people seeing the plant's large, bright flowers and thinking it was something California could be 'proud' of. So the name links pride to a showy Californian plant.