rainbow runner
- noun
- /ˈreɪnboʊ ˈrʌnər/
- The rainbow runner is prized by anglers for its speed and fighting ability.
Examples
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While snorkeling, we saw a school of rainbow runners gliding through the clear water.
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While we were fishing, I caught a beautiful rainbow runner with shimmering blue-green scales.
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Because of its vibrant colors, the rainbow runner stands out among other game fish.
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The rainbow runner is known for its speed.
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Did you catch a rainbow runner on your trip?
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The rainbow runner is a popular choice for sport fishing due to its vibrant colors and swift movements.
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Many anglers seek the rainbow runner for its impressive size and great fight when hooked.
Synonyms
A long, fast fish with a smooth, cigar-shaped body that lives in warm seas and people catch for sport
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally descriptive: 'rainbow' denotes multicolored appearance and 'runner' denotes a swift fish, so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a fast, colorful fish. This follows a common noun-compound pattern for animal names (cross-linguistically common), making the basic meaning accessible even if the precise species details are not known.
Etymology
Rainbow runner comes from the fish's bright colors and quick movement. People thought its blue-green back and yellow stripes looked like a rainbow, and it swims through the water like a runner, so the name means a colorful, fast 'fish'.