War Admiral
4
7.5
- proper noun
- /wɔr ˈædmɪrəl/
- It's War Admiral!
Examples
-
It's now War Admiral!
-
War Admiral is a superior horse with superior breeding.
-
You know, I'd rather have one horse like this than 100 War Admirals.
-
He's leading War Admiral, pressing on him a neck behind.
-
It's Seabiscuit and War Admiral, neck and neck as they go into the homestretch!
-
War Admiral is a real racehorse, who's won every prestigious race in America.
-
We're gonna enter every race where War Admiral is on the card, and if he scratches, which he probably will, we'll enter the next race he's on the card.
-
In 1937, War Admiral won the Triple Crown, solidifying its place in racing history.
-
Many fans consider War Admiral one of the greatest racehorses of all time.
-
The rivalry between War Admiral and Seabiscuit captured the hearts of horse racing enthusiasts.
Surface Forms
Morphology
War + Admiral
This is a proper name: knowing 'war' (armed conflict) and 'admiral' (a naval rank) may suggest military or commanding imagery but does not yield the meaning 'a celebrated Thoroughbred racehorse' or its historical status. Proper names and commemorative nicknames are largely arbitrary and not compositional, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would not be able to derive the MWE's referent or significance.
Etymology
War Admiral probably gets his name from his father, the great racehorse Man o' War and the word Admiral, which gives the image of a strong leader. So people used that name to think of him as a powerful, leading racehorse.