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Glite Dictionary
gun lap

gun lap

8.3
The final lap of a race that starts with a gunshot
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : última vuelta
  • Setting a new record, she overtook her rival in the gun lap.

Examples

  • The runners gave everything they had during the gun lap.

  • After the starting pistol signaled the gun lap, the crowd cheered loudly.

  • The gun lap is starting!

  • The runners prepared for the gun lap.

  • After the starting pistol signaled the gun lap, the crowd cheered loudly.

  • Setting a new record, she overtook her rival during the gun lap.

  • The runners gave everything they had while racing in the gun lap.

Surface Forms

gun lap singular
gun laps plural

Morphology

gun + lap

The compound is directly built from 'gun' (a starting shot) and 'lap' (a circuit), so it denotes the lap that is signalled or started by a gunshot. Although somewhat domain-specific to racing, this compositional relationship is clear and a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Gun lap The noun gun lap comes from races where a gun shot marks the last lap and tells runners to run very fast to finish. So gun lap means 'the final lap of a race' and creates the image of athletes trying their hardest after the gun.