scratch line
1
4.8
- noun
:
línea de salida
- The athletes lined up at the scratch line before the race began.
Examples
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Make sure you stand with your toes just behind the scratch line before the race starts.
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The runners waited at the scratch line before the race began.
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In old boxing matches, a scratch line was drawn on the floor to mark where fighters started each round.
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The runners lined up behind the scratch line, waiting for the signal to begin.
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He crossed the scratch line first and won the race.
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Each team gathered behind their respective scratch lines in preparation for the game.
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The judge signaled the start of the competition as soon as all participants were behind the scratch line.
Synonyms
21
3.3
The starting line marked on the ground for a race or game
12
2.0
A marked line where people begin a race or game
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituents are used in their literal senses ('scratch' = a mark, 'line' = a narrow mark), so a B1 learner who knows those meanings can readily infer that a 'scratch line' is a marked line. The specific function as a starting point for a race is a straightforward pragmatic specification rather than an idiomatic shift, making the expression compositional and immediately comprehensible.
Etymology
Scratch line may come from old races where someone literally scratched a line in the dirt or on the floor to mark where runners or fighters must begin. That simple image of everyone standing behind the scratched line is why the phrase means 'the starting point' of a race or game.