Dunkirk evacuation
- noun
:
evacuación de Dunkerque
- Historically, the Dunkirk evacuation is remembered as a heroic effort to save soldiers during World War II.
Examples
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If this had erupted during the critical days of the Dunkirk evacuation, it must be doubted whether even Churchill's rhetoric or the support of the opposition parties could have sustained him if the Conservatives in Parliament had turned against his leadership.
Academic text (1993) -
The Dunkirk evacuation in 1940 allowed over 300,000 Allied troops to escape from the beaches of France.
-
Many movies depict the challenges faced during the Dunkirk evacuation as troops fought against overwhelming odds.
Synonyms
2
7.1
The 1940 evacuation of Allied soldiers from beaches near Dunkirk under enemy attack
An evacuation in 1940 that rescues Allied soldiers from French beaches during World War II
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositional: 'Dunkirk' specifies the place/event and 'evacuation' means an organized removal from danger, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to an evacuation that took place at Dunkirk. Although the detailed historical significance and scale are not derivable from the words alone, the core referential meaning is directly predictable from the constituents.
Etymology
Dunkirk evacuation comes from a real event in 1940 when Allied soldiers were trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk and needed a fast evacuation. Hundreds of small civilian boats and navy ships crossed the sea under enemy attack to carry them away, so the phrase now gives a strong image of a daring 'rescue' of many people.