white sheep
1
7.8
- noun
- /waɪt ʃip/
- US
- The biologist observed a herd of white sheep roaming the remote mountains of Alaska.
Examples
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The white sheep is well adapted to the harsh, cold climate of its native habitat.
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I spotted a white sheep grazing on the hillside.
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Hunters must have permits to track white sheep in protected areas of Canada.
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Look at that white sheep!
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The biologist observed a herd of white sheep roaming the remote mountains of Alaska.
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Hunters must have permits to track white sheep in protected areas of Canada.
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I spotted a white sheep grazing on the hillside.
Synonyms
1
7.5
A large white wild sheep from northwest Canada and Alaska with curved horns
1
7.9
A large white wild sheep that lives on mountains in Alaska and northwest Canada with curved horns
A large white wild sheep that lives in northwestern Canada and Alaska
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'white' (pure/innocent) with 'sheep' (a follower/person who follows the crowd): it signals a follower who is positively distinctive. This compositional pattern (white = purity/positive, animal label = social type) is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
White sheep The noun white sheep names a large wild sheep with white fur that lives in the cold mountains of northwestern Canada and Alaska, so the term simply refers to that animal.