bell book
- noun
- Specialized
:
libro de órdenes
- The chief engineer entered the speed change command into the bell book.
Examples
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Every shift, a new entry was made in the bell book by the engine officer.
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Regulations require the bell book to be up-to-date and available for inspection at all times.
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The bell book is essential.
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Please pass the bell book.
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Every shift, a new entry was made in the bell book by the engine officer.
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Regulations require the bell book to be up-to-date and available for inspection at all times.
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The chief engineer entered the speed change command into the bell book.
Synonyms
429
3.1
A written record of events or actions kept over time
27
3.6
A book for writing money transactions in time order
12
3.3
A book where people write regular records of journeys, events, or activities
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally built from 'bell' (a ship's watch/period marked by bells) + 'book' (a book), so a learner who knows both senses would plausibly infer it is a book associated with the ship's watch. However, the specific technical function — that it records all orders for the main engines — is a specialized detail not directly predictable from the constituents, so the transparency is partial.
Etymology
Bell book comes from old ships where the crew used a bell to signal engine commands and then wrote those commands down in a book. So a bell book today is the ship log that keeps all 'engine orders'.