ship's papers
- noun
- /ʃɪps ˈpeɪpərz/
- Formal
:
documentos del barco
- Well Captain, we've examined the ship's papers, the passengers and your cargo.
Examples
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Before sailing, the captain ensured that all the ship's papers were in order.
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I... it is said all of the ship's papers have been lost.
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We shall want to see your ship's papers, Captain.
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He went to the cabin to get the ship's papers.
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Indeed, when Gorringe left Alexandria for New York, he had nothing more than a bill of sale as ship's papers.
Academic text (2002) -
Nationality is evidenced to the world by the ship's papers and its flag.
Academic text (2016) -
The officer asked to see the ship's papers before allowing the vessel to dock.
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The customs agent needed to verify the ship's papers to confirm the cargo details.
Synonyms
23
1.9
Official documents that show who you are or give legal information
Surface Forms
Morphology
ship's + papers
The meaning 'official documents relating to a ship' is directly and transparently derived from 'ship's' (belonging to the ship) combined with 'papers' (documents). The possessive noun + papers composition is a common, literal pattern in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Ship's papers comes from the everyday scene of a captain carrying a bundle of papers about the ship, its cargo and crew and showing them to port officials. So, 'ship's papers' means the 'official documents' a ship must have.