trophy case
4
2.5
- noun
- /ˈtroʊfi keɪs/
:
vitrina de trofeos
- The school's trophy case proudly displays the team's championship trophies from the last three years.
- a glass trophy case
- a school trophy case
Bush Hogs Second Battalion and I walked in there and in a trophy case they had this leg.
- Bush Hogs Second Battalion and I walked in there and in a trophy case they had this leg.
- My trophy case is full because I'm such a good mom.
Examples
-
In the foyer of the high school, in the big glass trophy case that's like a church altar, there was the photograph, still, of "Mule" Mulvaney and his padded jersey teammates, Tri-County Football Champions 1972.
Fiction book (1997) -
I see them waiting for me at the end of the hall on the first floor, down by the trophy case with all the pictures of the big shot track stars and wrestlers.
Fiction book (1998) -
Oh, my trophy case is full, right?
-
Got my picture in a trophy case, I see.
-
Get another picture in the trophy case.
-
My trophy case is full because I'm such a good mom.
-
Athletic awards, not academic ones, in the trophy case.
Fiction book (1997) -
They stand near a trophy case.
Fiction book (1994) -
Needless to say, Mud Lake now has two awards in the trophy case.
-
If Michael Mulvaney saw, he gave no sign, nor did he budge from his position near a glass trophy case.
Fiction book (1997)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A box or container for holding and carrying things like bottles
12
2.4
A glass cabinet with clear sides that shows and protects things like jewelry or small objects
5
3.5
A glass case used in shops or museums to display and protect items
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'trophy' (an award) + 'case' (a box or display), yielding the straightforward idea of a container or display for trophies; the virtual/online extension is a transparent metaphor of a physical display. This noun+noun compounding is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Trophy case comes from the glass or wood cabinet where people put trophies in a case to protect them and 'show off' their 'achievements'. So, trophy case means a place to keep and show awards.