reception line
1
3.9
- noun
- /rɪˈsɛpʃən laɪn/
:
línea de recepción
- During the formal party, the reception line included several dignitaries who greeted attendees with warm smiles.
- stand in the reception line
Examples
-
She waited in the reception line.
Fiction book (1996) -
The hosts welcomed each guest personally as they passed through the reception line at the charity gala.
-
The reception line is already stretching out the door.
-
There is a reception line, and the Admiral stands with his aide, who introduces each of the guests who pass through the line.
Fiction book (1997) -
Camera follows Annibal and Maura down the reception line.
Fiction book (1997) -
If I could just steer you through the reception line here—
Fiction book (1996) -
The diplomat pilots the senator by one arm, guiding him to a reception line at the base of the stairs to the party.
Fiction book (1996) -
Sarah, a very attractive young American dressed in an elegant gown, steps out of the reception line and shakes hands with Waltzer.
Fiction book (1996) -
When Michael Reagan graduated (1964) from the Judson School, a boarding school outside of Scottsdale, Arizona, Gov. Reagan greeted him in a reception line by introducing himself as, "Hello, I'm Ronald Reagan, the governor of California, and what is your name?"
Blog text (2) -
At the wedding, guests were thrilled to see the couple standing at the front of the reception line, ready to greet everyone.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'reception' (a formal gathering) + 'line' (a queue/formation), so the meaning — a queue at a reception where hosts greet guests — can be directly inferred from the parts. This noun‑noun combination follows a common cross‑linguistic pattern (a location/event + line) and is therefore immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Reception line comes from formal parties where the hosts stood in a long line by the door at the reception to greet each arriving guest. That simple picture—people shaking hands one by one—shows why the phrase means 'a line of hosts and guests of honor who greet incoming guests' today.