trip wire
- noun
- /trɪp waɪər/
- Jargon
:
unidad de alerta
- The deployment of a trip wire in the region serves to dissuade aggression from neighboring countries.
Examples
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The presence of a trip wire increases the risks for any adversary contemplating an incursion.
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NATO stationed a trip wire force in the Baltic states to assure immediate response if attacked.
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The soldiers set up a trip wire around the perimeter.
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A trip wire can alert larger forces to incoming threats.
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The small military unit acted as a trip wire, ensuring that any aggression would provoke a stronger response.
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In the event of an attack, the trip wire forces were positioned to alert the main military divisions nearby.
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The presence of a trip wire in the conflict zone could trigger a significant military response if tensions escalate.
Synonyms
26
6.0
A soldier who stands watch to guard a place
5
6.1
A person who stands outside a camp to watch for enemy movement
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituent meanings ('trip' as a triggering mechanism and 'wire' as a thin strand) yield a clear literal image of a wire that causes something to be triggered, so part of the sense is directly derivable. However, the military sense given is a metaphorical extension (a small force that will 'trigger' larger intervention), which is not fully predictable without recognizing the metaphorical transfer, making the overall MWE only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Trip wire in the military sense comes from the same image: a thin wire that, when you trip it, makes a much bigger reaction happen. A small group of soldiers is placed like that wire so that if they are attacked it will 'trigger' larger forces to respond.