secret mission
17
5.5
- noun
- /ˈsiːkrɪt ˈmɪʃən/
:
misión secreta
- The spy received instructions for a secret mission to gather intelligence in enemy territory.
This is the true story of the secret mission to destroy Germany's heavy water.
- This is the true story of the secret mission to destroy Germany's heavy water.
- I gave you a secret mission.
- So you're deployed to train other commandos, but you weren't sort of deployed as a commando yourself on secret missions, stuff like that.
Examples
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We've got a secret mission today.
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This is the true story of the secret mission to destroy Germany's heavy water.
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Agent, we need you for a secret mission.
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You were on a secret mission.
Fiction book (1996) -
You have a secret mission today, if you choose to accept it.
Blog text (2) -
I'm on a secret mission.
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Now, don't you want to know about our secret mission?
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"Governor Gage is sending two officers into the country tomorrow morning on a secret mission."
Fiction book (2000) -
When I sent her to Msalli IV, we were both working for the government on a secret mission.
Fiction book (1991) -
Frank Hibben claimed that while tracing paleontologist-explorer Roy Chapman Andrews' old trail in Outer Mongolia, he carried out a secret mission for the U.S. government.
Academic text (2003)
Synonyms
23
5.7
A secret action by a government or army to avoid being noticed
11
4.9
Secret work where someone gathers information for the police or security
10
5.0
Secret work by police or agents who hide their identity to gather evidence
3
5.8
A secret operation by soldiers or spies to gather information and carry out dangerous tasks
3
7.7
A secret activity planned and done to stay hidden, often by spies or soldiers
1
8.4
A secret action that hides who did it, often for political or military reasons
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a covert or confidential assignment' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'secret' (confidential) with 'mission' (an assigned task). This adjective+noun compositional pattern is common across languages and follows standard English semantics, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Secret mission comes from spy and soldier stories where someone quietly leaves at night with sealed orders to do one hidden job. The image of a quiet, secret trip to complete a clear mission helps explain why it means 'a private, hidden assignment'.