Meaning & use
kleig light
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Meanings
nouncountabletrademarkspecialist
A very bright lamp that burns carbon rods to make an intense white light, used mainly in film and theater work.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a kleig light, two kleig lights, or the kleig lights.
Patterns
- a kleig light on something
- under the kleig lights
- a bank of kleig lights
The crew rolled a kleig light into the corner of the studio.
Under the kleig lights the actor's face looked almost white.
They switched on two kleig lights before the interview began.
nouncountablefigurative
A light so strong and harsh that it makes people feel exposed or uncomfortable.
Grammar: Used figuratively, usually in the plural with the: the kleig lights of something.
Patterns
- the kleig lights of something
- in the kleig light
- under the kleig light of something
The mayor did not enjoy standing in the kleig lights of national news.
For a week the small town lived in the kleig light of a murder trial.
She handled the kleig lights of fame better than her brother did.
Word forms
| plural | kleig lights |
|---|
Common combinations
- a kleig light
- A single kleig light lit the whole stage.
- under the kleig lights
- The singer seemed nervous under the kleig lights.
- switch on a kleig light
- The electrician switched on a kleig light and the room went white.
- a bank of kleig lights
- A bank of kleig lights hung above the set.
- the glare of a kleig light
- He blinked in the glare of a kleig light.
Synonyms and how they differ
- arc light
- The general technical term for the same kind of very bright lamp, and the safer choice if you want to avoid a brand name.
- spotlight
- A spotlight is a directed beam that picks out one person or area, while a kleig light is simply a very strong source of light.
- floodlight
- A floodlight spreads light widely over a large area, often outdoors; a kleig light is more often used indoors on a film set.
Word family
- Kliegl proper noun
- The surname of the brothers whose company made the lamp, which is where the word comes from.
Commonly confused: kleig light or Klieg? kleig light or key light?
kleig light vs Klieg
The brand is spelled Klieg, not Kleig, so the usual spelling is "Klieg light"; both spellings appear, but the K version is more standard.
kleig light vs key light
In film, the key light is the main light on a subject, whatever type it is; a kleig light is one particular kind of lamp that might serve as the key light.
Practice
Which sentence uses "kleig light" in the way most people mean it today?
Choose one answer.
"Kleig light" is a noun, and its figurative use for harsh public attention fits sentence A. B and D wrongly use it as a verb, and C wrongly uses it to mean a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “kleig light”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.