nuclear club
2
5.2
- noun
- /ˈnjuːklɪər klʌb/
- Literature
:
club nuclear
- The most recent member of the nuclear club is North Korea, a small pariah state with a massive insecurity complex.
- join the nuclear club
- nuclear club membership
- members of the nuclear club
Examples
-
Frustrated by the nonproliferation regime and India's status in world politics, New Delhi simply blasted its way into the world nuclear club.
Academic text (2000) -
In August 1949, the Soviet Union staged its first atomic test and joined the nuclear club, giving the United Kingdom and France a rationale to follow suit.
Academic text (2010) -
India and Pakistan recently gained membership in the nuclear club, and other countries are eager to join.
Academic text (2000) -
The most recent member of the nuclear club is North Korea, a small pariah state with a massive insecurity complex.
Academic text (2010) -
Additionally, as a new entrant to the nuclear club, it would naturally be looked upon with more suspicion and scrutiny than the other members.
Blog text (4) -
India and Pakistan, the newest members of the nuclear club, have fought three wars, and the Kashmir issue is still unresolved.
Academic text (1999) -
A deterioration of the situation in North Korea could provide Japan with the rationale to join the nuclear club, a move that would be directed as much toward China as toward the Korean Peninsula.
Academic text (2007) -
The superpowers became more worried about the horizontal proliferation of nuclear arms to states seeking to join the nuclear club than the vertical proliferation of their own arsenals.
Academic text (1991) -
India and Pakistan recently gained membership in the nuclear club, and other countries are eager to join.
-
Buying a finished weapon, or several of them, is the easiest way to gain entry to the nuclear club.
How Well-Armed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is compositionally derived: 'nuclear' (relating to nuclear weapons/energy) modifies 'club' (a group or association), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer a group associated with nuclear capability. This is a common, cross-linguistic compositional pattern (adjective + group noun), so the overall sense is immediately accessible though world knowledge clarifies that the referents are countries.
Etymology
Nuclear club compares countries that own nuclear weapons to members of an exclusive club, a small private group only a few can join. So, it means the small group of nations that have 'nuclear weapons' and special power.