duct tape
72
2.6
- noun
- /dʌkt teɪp/
:
cinta americana
- I used a strip of duct tape to fix the leaking pipe under the sink.
- use duct tape
- bind with duct tape
You could just like a patch of duct tape on it and it'll hold it in.
- You could just like a patch of duct tape on it and it'll hold it in.
- You can't just send Jack to put some duct tape around the thing.
- So they pulled up some duct tape.
Examples
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We're basically holding back our next flood with a piece of duct tape.
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You want to cut the duct tape three feet long.
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The thing about duct tape is it's almost never the right solution.
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A little duct tape will fix that up.
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Is that duct tape holding the wing together?
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We're going to tie it off and then use some duct tape to create handles.
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I anchored down with some duct tape so that it should hold where it is.
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All I did for this DIY was just took some duct tape and cut it.
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John pulls a roll of duct tape from his knapsack and tears off a piece.
Fiction book (1991) -
They're giving instructions on how to seal the windows with duct tape, but they're not saying why.
Fiction book (2002)
Synonyms
277
1.0
A thin strip of cloth, paper, or plastic used to fasten things
2
1.5
A strip of sticky material used to hold things together
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound's meaning is directly derivable from 'duct' (a hollow channel for air) + 'tape' (an adhesive strip): a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it as tape intended for ducts/sealing joints. Its broader use for general repairs is a predictable extension of that literal function, so the expression is compositionally transparent.
Etymology
Duct tape was first made to seal metal ducts, the tubes that carry air in buildings, so people called it duct tape. It was a very strong, silver tape with cloth inside, and because people used duct tape for quick fixes everywhere, today the name means 'a strong repair tape'.