picket line en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈpɪkɪt ˌlaɪn/ (General-American)
- /ˈpɪkɪt laɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From picket (“stake driven into the ground; soldier or small unit of soldiers assigned to perform a duty; protester positioned outside a workplace, etc., during a strike; the protest itself”) + line.
Meanings
- (rare) A line or rope held by one or many pickets, chiefly one used for tethering horses.
- (rare) A barrier or fortification formed by pickets; a stockade.
- A boundary guarded by a picket (unit of soldiers).
-
A boundary created by workers participating in a strike, generally at the workplace entrance, which other workers are asked not to pass.
RMT union members form a picket line outside Birmingham New Street on July 27, as part of a national dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.
2022 August 10, “Network News: RMT's Lynch raises the prospect of a General Strike”, in RAIL, number 963, page 7, photo caption:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| picket lines | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (8)
it recinto con corda e picchetti (line or rope held by pickets) · es piquete (boundary created by workers participating in a strike) · it palizzata (boundary guarded by a unit of soldiers) · fi rajatolppa (boundary guarded by a unit of soldiers) · it picchetto di scioperanti (boundary created by workers participating in a strike) · fi lakkovartio (boundary created by workers participating in a strike) · nn streikevakt (boundary created by workers participating in a strike) · cy llinell biced (boundary created by workers participating in a strike)