starting signal
1
3.5
- noun
:
señal de inicio
- With a loud horn, the starting signal marked the beginning of the triathlon, and the participants dove into the water.
Examples
-
When the starting signal was given, the athletes sprinted down the track with all their might.
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On the starting signal, the ball is thrown against the wall and caught on the rebound as rapidly as possible for fifteen trials.
Academic text (1990) -
The runners waited eagerly for the starting signal to indicate the race was about to begin.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
The time or place when something begins
2
3.7
A gun fired to mark the start of a race
Antonyms
How Noticeable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a signal indicating the beginning of an event' is directly and transparently built from 'starting' (initial/beginning) + 'signal' (a cue or sign). This modifier+noun compositional pattern is common in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Starting signal comes from the image of athletes waiting for a loud bang, buzzer, or a raised flag. The part starting shows when it happens and the part signal is the sign to go, so the phrase means 'the beginning of a race or event'.