pocket lighter
- noun
- /ˈpɑkɪt ˈlaɪtər/
- "She lights the cigarette with her pocket lighter.
Examples
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She used her pocket lighter to start the campfire quickly.
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He always carries his pocket lighter in his jacket for emergencies.
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Before heading out, he made sure to pack his pocket lighter for the evening barbecue.
Synonyms
A small thing that makes a flame to light cigarettes or candles
A small device that makes a flame to light a cigarette, cigar, or candle
A small tool that makes a flame to light cigars or cigarettes
How Portable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small, portable device used to ignite cigars or cigarettes' is directly and literally derived from combining 'pocket' (a small pouch) with 'lighter' (a tool producing a flame): it denotes a lighter sized to fit in a pocket. This straightforward, compositional relation is cross-linguistically common and should be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Pocket lighter comes from the simple picture of a small lighter that fits into a pocket. Because people could carry it easily, the name means a little, portable thing used 'to light' cigarettes or cigars.