semaphore flag
- noun
- /ˈsɛmɪfɔr flæɡ/
- Specialized
:
bandera de semáforo
- During the exercise, the instructor demonstrated how to correctly position the semaphore flags for signaling.
Examples
-
The sailor used a semaphore flag to communicate with the ship in the distance.
-
Well, you can take your dictation and your two-bit secretarial job and your semaphore flags and just shove them in your briefcase!
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Um, regarding your complaint about our recent shipment of semaphore flags, I feel...
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Uh, dear Mr. McWhirter, regarding your complaint about our latest shipment of semaphore flags...
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The monkey holds up cue cards, which the octopus reads, and then waves nautical semaphore flags.
Fiction book (1994) -
To send an urgent message, they waved the semaphore flags high above their heads.
Synonyms
1
3.8
A rectangular piece of cloth ships use to send short messages
A flag sailors use to send messages between ships at sea
A flag used to send messages between ships
How Visible
66
4.3
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
3.8
14
5.5
146
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: 'semaphore' names a signaling method that uses flags and 'flag' names the physical cloth. A B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer that a 'semaphore flag' is the flag used for semaphore signaling, so the meaning is literal and transparent.
Etymology
Semaphore flag comes from old ships where a person held two flags and moved them into different positions like letters so other ships could 'send messages' at a distance. That's why today semaphore flag means a flag used to make visual signals to 'send messages' over a distance.