noun
BOLTS
noun
1
Plural of bolt: threaded metal fasteners used to join parts together.
"He tightened the last few bolts on the bike frame before the race."
2
Plural of bolt in the sense of a flash of lightning.
"Bolts of lightning lit up the whole valley during the storm."
3
(cartography, mnemonic) An acronym for the essential elements a map should include: Border, Orientation, Legend, Title, Scale.
"The geography teacher told students to check their maps against BOLTS before submitting."
How to Use BOLTS
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUsually just the plural of "bolt" (fastener or lightning); in geography class it's also a memory trick for map-reading essentials.
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Fill the Gap
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He tightened the last few _____ on the bike frame before the race.
Etymology
From bolt, ultimately from Old English bolt, "arrow" or "short metal rod" — the mnemonic sense is a modern classroom invention using the initials of five mapping elements.