gray jay
1
7.2
- noun
- /ɡreɪ dʒeɪ/
- US
- The gray jay is known for approaching hikers boldly in search of food.
Examples
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The gray jay is often found in Canadian forests.
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I had never seen a gray jay before visiting the northern forests of Canada.
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We spotted a gray jay swooping down to snatch a sandwich from our picnic table.
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Have you ever seen a gray jay in the wild?
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The gray jay is often seen pilfering food from hikers in the northern forests.
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During winter, the gray jay boldly approaches campers, hoping to steal some snacks.
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I spotted a gray jay perched on a branch, its black-capped head contrasting with its gray feathers.
Synonyms
1
6.1
A bold grey-and-white bird with a black cap and no crest that lives in northern forests and steals food
1
8.8
A bold gray bird that steals food from camps and picnics
A bold jay from northern North America with a black cap that steals food
A small gray bird found in northern forests that takes food from campsites
Surface Forms
Morphology
gray + jay
The meaning is directly compositional: 'gray' (a color) + 'jay' (a type of bird) denotes a jay that is gray or a species named for its gray plumage. Color + animal combinations are cross-linguistically common and follow straightforward semantics, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning (the input's 'jay' entry is missing a definition, but that does not affect compositionality).
Etymology
Gray jay is a simple name for a gray bird in the jay family that is famous for coming close to people and taking food. Imagine a gray bird hopping onto a picnic table to grab a sandwich—this bold picture explains why the bird is known for 'stealing food' from hikers.