Meaning of dragline | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A cable, cord, or rope used to drag an object; specifically, the line of a dragline excavator that drags the bucket.
2. Ellipsis of dragline excavator.
   abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
3. A strong supporting line of silk produced by a spider.

Equivalents

Examples

“Drainboard had been terrified by a narrow escape⟳ from the jumping spider's dragline. He had twisted it twice around her cerci and told her, "Your new name⟳ is Supper, for that's what you will be in a few hours. My supper."”

“De Gier had rowed out to where the yacht was anchored, fished up the anchor with a dragline, ascertained that the anchor cable had been cut⟳.”

“Everything about the Eagle [a hot-air balloon] spoke of professionalism. For extra power it had three sails, comprising 818 square feet of silk, which hung like⟳ aprons from its midriff. Its steering was provided by three drag-lines, measuring 3,300 feet in total but of unequal lengths to prevent⟳ them tangling. […] Ingeniously, the drag-lines were also to act as ballast, Andrée's theory being that if the balloon lost height a greater length of rope would rest⟳ on the ground, thus increasing its buoyancy.”

“A dragline excavator has a large cutting bucket suspended from the end⟳ of a boom. The operator first lowers the bucket mouth down where earth is to be removed, then a second cable—the dragline—pulls the bucket across the surface. The weight of the bucket and the pull⟳ of the dragline make⟳ a blade at the mouth of the bucket dig⟳ into the topsoil, filling the bucket as it moves. When the bucket is full, its contents are tipped by lifting and inverting the bucket over a waiting dump⟳ truck.”

“Spiders rely⟳ on silk "draglines" to become⟳ airborne and for subsequent transport⟳. Numerical simulations […] suggest⟳ that these draglines are flexible and can become⟳ contorted by both stretching and twisting. These flexible, extendible draglines enable the spiders to rise⟳ in the air column and follow⟳ the flow⟳ of air, promoting relatively long-distance travel⟳.”

“The use⟳ of a head collar or harness along with a dragline allows easy access to the pet and rapid interruption of the behavior sequence and redirection of the pet to a more appropriate activity such as attention directed toward toys or food puzzles.”

“Much of this material was taken from land⟳ adjoining the railway by draglines and bulldozers.”

“The drainage ditches were constructed with a dragline and were of sufficient width so that it was considered unnecessary to deepen or clear them during the course of the study⟳.”

“In smaller lagoons (with radius less than about 30 feet), a backhoe is more efficient, while larger lagoons may require⟳ the use⟳ of a clamshell or a dragline for mixing.”

CEFR level