buddy system
6
3.3
- noun
- /ˈbʌdi ˈsɪstəm/
:
sistema de compañeros
- To enhance safety while hiking, we always use the buddy system so that no one wanders off alone.
- use of the buddy system
My buddy in the buddy system is gone.
- My buddy in the buddy system is gone.
- But our main girl feels really guilty because it was kind of a situation of they didn't use the buddy system.
Examples
-
Yes, they had the buddy system in place when he was in her clinic.
Blog text (6) -
I don't need anybody to tell me what the buddy system is.
-
Doc, I think you might wanna explain the buddy system to Henry.
-
My school has a buddy system.
-
Now, when we get to the stadium, guys, we're gonna use the buddy system.
-
"I want us to use the buddy system and all stay within sight and sound of each other."
Fiction book (1993) -
This may seem obvious, but a buddy system will help prevent you from getting lost.
Blog text (12) -
For Michael, a buddy system was instituted with a competent, chronological-age peer.
Academic text (2006) -
After Marvin Browning got lost downtown for a couple of weeks, the orphanage started using a buddy system.
-
In addition, studies have demonstrated how important peer support, for example in the form of a 'buddy system,' can be in the clinical environment (Christiansen and Bell, 2010) for students struggling to make sense of what can be a daunting environment.
Academic text (2016)
How Protective
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'buddy' (friend/partner) combined with 'system' (an organized method) yields an arrangement of paired helpers, which matches the provided definition. This construction is cross-linguistically common and follows ordinary noun-noun composition, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The noun buddy system comes from the simple idea of two buddies paired so each watches the other's back. That's why it means pairing people to help or protect one another for 'safety' or 'support'.