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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

arm's length en · ADJ

Pronunciation

Meanings

  1. (literally, not-comparable) Barely within reach.
  2. (idiomatic, not-comparable) Distant, detached.
  3. (idiomatic, not-comparable) Independent, but related.
    • Kate Bingham's success is powerful validation of what has been RAIL 's opinion on this key question for many months now: that we must have a new arm's length body, similar to the Vaccine Task Force, to strategically plan and organise our railways... and quickly too. 2021 February 24, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Vaccines and railways”, in RAIL, number 925, page 3:

Relateds

armlength

arm's length en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Meanings

  1. A distance approximately equal to the length of a human's arm.
    • I need about ten arm's lengths of yarn.
  2. (figuratively) A position not suggesting or inviting intimacy.
    • She remained at arm's length though we worked together for many years.
  3. (figuratively) A condition of independence and parity for parties to a transaction.
    • "Government should have an arms-length relationship with the railway," it adds. 2020 April 22, “Labour's blueprint for the future of Britain's railways”, in Rail, page 28:
    • In any viable scenario of renationalisation, the idea was always to ensure that the railways were at arm's length from the Department, since it was recognised that allowing civil servants to run the show is always a bad idea. 2020 June 3, Christian Wolmar, “Unworkable policies cripple our beleagered railway”, in Rail, page 51:
    • The police work at arm's length from the army.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
arm's lengths Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

arm's length principle · arm's length price

Translations (5)

fi erillisyys (figuratively: condition of independence and parity) · fi etäisyys (pitää etäisyyttä - to remain at arm's length) (figuratively: position not suggesting or inviting intimacy) · fi erillinen asema (figuratively: condition of independence and parity) · fi erillään (figuratively: condition of independence and parity) · fi käsivarren mitta (distance)