hop pole
- noun
- During the spring, workers set up each hop pole by hand throughout the field.
Examples
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A sturdy hop pole is essential for supporting heavy vines as the hops mature.
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Old photographs show rows of hop poles standing tall above the growing plants.
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The farmer installed a new hop pole in the field.
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Many hop poles were damaged during the storm.
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The farmer erected a tall hop pole to support the growing vines in his field.
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During the hop harvest, many workers climbed the hop poles to gather the ripe flowers.
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Each hop pole in the garden was carefully placed to ensure the hop plants could flourish.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'hop' (the hop plant) with 'pole' (a support), i.e. a pole used to support hop plants. This simple noun–noun compounding reflects a clear physical relation and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would very likely infer the MWE's meaning (though detailed agricultural usage might need context).
Etymology
Hop pole is a tall pole used to hold the wires that hop plants climb. Farmers set up rows of poles to support the climbing hop plants, so the name joins hop and pole and means 'a support for hop plants'.