cinder track
- noun
- Archaic
:
pista de ceniza
- I used to run 1/4 miles in 52-53 seconds over a cinder track, but those days are long gone.
Examples
-
During the summer, the community hosts races on the cinder track at the park.
-
The park attracted more and more city-dwellers and was later expanded to include a baseball diamond and a cinder track for runners and bicyclists.
Academic text (1997) -
Matthew stayed lean and fit by running each morning around the University of Richmond's cinder track.
Fiction book (2000) -
Kari knelt on the cinder track with her feet positioned in the starting blocks.
Fiction book (2000) -
The local high school has a cinder track that athletes use for practice and competitions.
-
Many runners prefer a cinder track because it provides a softer surface than asphalt.
Synonyms
49
2.3
A track where cars or horses race
4
3.7
A racing track for cars or motorcycles with a surface of packed earth rather than pavement
How Paved
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward noun–noun compound: 'cinder' (small pieces of burnt coal/ash) + 'track' (a running course), so its meaning — a running surface made of cinders — is directly inferable from the parts. This material+object compositional pattern is regular in English and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should understand it.
Etymology
Cinder track comes from old running tracks covered with small bits of burned coal called cinders. Because the surface was soft, dusty and could get heavy after rain, people used cinder track to mean 'a running track made of cinders', different from modern synthetic tracks.