phonograph needle
1
8.4
- noun
- /ˈfoʊnəˌɡræf ˈnidəl/
- Archaic
:
aguja de fonógrafo
- And then a sound: scratching and popping, the sound of a phonograph needle makes when it reaches the end of the vinyl and scratches against the label.
Examples
-
The effect is like a phonograph needle stuck in the groove.
Fiction book (2000) -
A phonograph needle scratches across a record and the music stops.
Fiction book (1990) -
A kindergarten teacher once noticed me flinching as a child put a phonograph needle on a Bozo the Clown record.
Academic text (1995) -
When the phonograph needle is placed on the record, the music begins to play.
-
The phonograph needle glided smoothly along the grooves, producing clear sound.
-
He carefully replaced the old phonograph needle to restore the vintage player's sound quality.
Synonyms
85
2.8
A long thin pointed part like a pine leaf or a record stylus
1
7.1
A small pointed needle that reads music from a vinyl record
How Durable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'phonograph' (a device that plays records) combined with 'needle' (a stylus); the compound denotes the needle used by the phonograph. This straightforward noun+noun composition is a common, compositional pattern cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Phonograph needle: The name phonograph needle comes from old record players called phonographs and the tiny pointed needle that sits in a record's groove and moves to make 'sound'. So, the name simply describes the small pointed tool that makes a record 'play'.