boat whistle
- noun
:
silbato de barco
- (BOAT WHISTLE)
Examples
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(BOAT WHISTLE BLOWS)
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(BOAT WHISTLE BLOWING)
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-I don't like boat whistles.
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The boat whistle blew, and the driver of another wagon shouted angrily.
Fiction book (2002) -
[boat whistles]
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[boat whistles]
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The captain blew the boat whistle to signal the departure of the ferry.
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When thick fog rolled in, the crew used the boat whistle to warn nearby vessels.
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Every time they approached a dock, the sailor sounded the boat whistle to alert the harbor.
Synonyms
56
1.0
A high loud sound made by a person, a device, or fast moving air
1
4.6
A loud horn on steam engines used to signal or warn
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a whistle fitted on a boat' is directly and literally composed from 'boat' (a watercraft) + 'whistle' (a device that makes a sharp tone). This noun–noun compound follows a common, cross-linguistic and English pattern of vehicle+device naming, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Boat whistle comes from the simple image of a loud whistle fixed to a boat that a captain blows to warn other ships in fog or danger. That's why it means 'a whistle used on a boat to warn or give a signal'.