to carry a note
- idiom
:
cantar afinado
- She can carry a note beautifully and often performs as the lead singer in the choir.
Examples
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Can you carry a note in tune?
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He tried to sing along but clearly couldn't carry a note.
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Many people are shy to sing in public, fearing they might not carry a note well.
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She can carry a note beautifully.
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He tried to sing along but clearly couldn't carry a note.
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Many people are shy to sing in public, fearing they might not carry a note well.
-
She can carry a note beautifully and often performs as the lead singer in the choir.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To make musical sounds with your voice
12
7.1
Sing or play a tune accurately and in tune
10
4.5
To sing in tune without going off-key
Antonyms
How In Tune
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to be able to sing or produce music accurately' is directly and compositionally derived from 'carry' (to sustain/produce) plus 'note' (a musical pitch); the determiner 'a' is semantically light. This follows the same transparent logic as 'carry a tune' and would be predictable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings.
Etymology
The phrase carry a note comes from the simple image of carry meaning 'to hold' and note meaning a musical sound, like a singer holding one sound steadily. That's why it means 'to be able to sing or produce music accurately'.