flying squad
1
5.6
- noun
- /ˈflaɪɪŋ skwɒd/
- UK
:
unidad de intervención
- The flying squad quickly arrived at the scene to manage the emergency situation.
We can go back to knife crime because people love the Flying Squad.
- We can go back to knife crime because people love the Flying Squad.
Examples
-
In the spring, before he met Paul again, Jimmy joined Bathhouse John's campaign flying squad for the first time.
Fiction book (1993) -
People who disliked him said he ensured his victories with flying squads of thugs who kept opposition voters away from the polls.
Fiction book (1993) -
His flying squad policed the route of march.
Fiction book (1993) -
Djef formed a brown flying squad ahead as Sam and his escort raced through the crowd.
Fiction book (1998) -
A few minutes after six, Jimmy boarded an already crowded tallyho hired by the Bath to carry his flying squad around the district.
Fiction book (1993) -
They had been sent back to the hotel under armed escort consisting of a crack team from the Florida National Guard and a flying squad of state police, none of whom, for some strange reason, seemed too keen on the assignment.
Fiction book (1998) -
In response to the hostage crisis, the flying squad deployed to provide immediate assistance.
-
The police flying squad was called to handle the urgent standoff with armed suspects.
Synonyms
49
3.9
A group of police trained to handle dangerous incidents like hostage situations
A police team trained to handle violent, dangerous events like armed standoffs or hostage crises
A group of police officers with special training and weapons who handle very dangerous situations like armed suspects or hostages
A police unit trained to handle violent situations like hostage crises and armed standoffs
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'flying' (here meaning rapid/moving quickly) with 'squad' (a small team), so the overall idea of a mobile, fast-response unit is derivable from the parts. However, the adjectival use of 'flying' is metaphorical and could be misread as literal (airborne) by learners without exposure, and the term is somewhat institutionalized, so it is not fully transparently predictable.
Etymology
Flying squad comes from a simple image: flying meant moving very fast and squad meant a small team that could rush to a scene in cars or planes, so a flying squad is 'a group of police or officials who can move quickly to handle emergencies'.