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shrink ray

shrink ray

1 9.9
A made-up machine that makes people or things much smaller
  • noun
  • /ʃrɪŋk reɪ/
translation icon : rayo encogedor
  • I'd like to see this shrink ray.

Examples

  • An old man got hit with a shrink ray but his but his clothing stayed the same.

  • I got the shrink ray.

  • Oh, I got the shrink ray, all right.

  • Do you know where the shrink ray is?

  • Get the shrink ray, then we'll talk.

  • Now, we have located a shrink ray in a secret lab.

  • The larger the mass of an object, the quicker the effects of the shrink ray wear off.

  • Why, And our mind boggles, are the amazing things we could do in real life if such a device as a shrink ray existed.

  • And once we take this shrink ray, we will have the capability... to pull off the true crime of the century.

  • The scientist proudly showed off her new invention, a shrink ray that could reduce objects to miniature size.

Synonyms

shrinker
vsshrink ray
1 6.1

A tool or person that makes things smaller in size

is an imagined machine that makes physical objects or people smaller

Surface Forms

shrink ray singular
shrink rays plural

Morphology

shrink + ray

The meaning is directly derivable from 'shrink' (to become smaller) + 'ray' (a beam of light): a beam that causes shrinking. This noun–noun composition follows regular English compounding patterns and is conceptually transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the device's purpose even if the item is fictional.

Etymology

Shrink ray comes from old science fiction and cartoons where a bright beam called a ray hits a person or object and the shrink part shows it becomes much smaller. So, shrink ray means a fictional device 'to make things much smaller'.