pipe major
- noun
:
jefe de gaiteros
- The competition was fierce, and each pipe major hoped to impress the judges with their band's performance.
Examples
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After years of dedication, he was promoted to pipe major of the regiment's pipe band.
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The pipe major led the band during the parade.
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The pipe major led the band onto the parade field with a flourish.
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I spoke to the pipe major about the upcoming competition.
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The pipe major skillfully guided the band through the challenging Scottish tune.
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As pipe major, she was responsible for choosing the repertoire and leading performances.
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During the parade, the pipe major signaled the start of the marching tunes with a flourish.
Synonyms
9
3.4
A person who leads a music group like a dance band or orchestra
3
5.0
A leader who directs a marching band and leads it in parades
1
5.8
A person who leads a band, often a military or marching band
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'pipe' (the instrument) and 'major' (a senior rank/important) give a partial cue that this refers to a leading or senior figure associated with pipes, but the specific job-title sense 'chief piper in a bagpipe band' is a specialized, culture-bound term. A B1 learner who knows the words might guess it denotes someone important with pipes but could misinterpret it as a large/important pipe or a military rank, so prior exposure is typically required for the exact meaning.
Etymology
Pipe major comes from military bagpipe bands. The pipe is the bagpipe and the major is the leader who stands at the front, playing and guiding the other players, so the name came to mean 'the chief piper' today.