barndoor skate
- noun
- /ˈbɑrnˌdɔr skeɪt/
- Specialized
- The barndoor skate can grow up to 5 feet long, making it one of the most notable species in the western Atlantic.
Examples
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Fishermen often report catching a barndoor skate because of its size and availability.
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Scientists are monitoring barndoor skate populations due to concerns about overfishing.
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The barndoor skate is one of the largest skates found in the North Atlantic.
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The barndoor skate is popular among fishermen.
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Many anglers prefer catching barndoor skates during the summer.
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Fishermen often report catching a barndoor skate due to its large size and relatively easy access.
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Because of their abundance, barndoor skates are frequently targeted by anglers during fishing trips.
Synonyms
A large sea fish with wide flat fins often served as food
A large flat fish like a ray that grows up to five feet and is often easy to catch
Surface Forms
Morphology
barndoor + skate
The element 'skate' clearly signals this is a kind of ray/fish, so a learner knowing 'skate' will infer the general category. However 'barndoor' is not a transparent, dictionary-listed constituent here and any inference that it means 'very large' (from barn-door metaphor) is indirect and somewhat metaphorical, so the specific sense 'a large species' is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Barndoor skate comes from fishermen who thought the flat, wide fish looked like a big barn door lying on the sea floor, because of its large, broad body. So the name now refers to a 'very large skate'.