yellow-card

/ˌjeləʊ ˈkɑːd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌjeləʊ ˈkɑːrd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌjel.əʊˈkɑːd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈjel.oʊˌkɑːrd/ (ame, ipa)

yellow-card — noun

1. In football, when players break a rule, the referee signals a warning by lifting

1.名詞B1
釋義

In football, when players break a rule, the referee signals a warning by lifting a yellow card. Anyone who collects two yellow cards in one match is sent off the field.

例句

João received a yellow card for pulling an opponent's shirt during the match.

common verb collocation: receive a yellow card for [offence]

The referee showed Evelyn a yellow card after she argued too strongly about the call.

verb pattern: show [someone] a yellow card

同義詞
  • caution

    formal term used in official match reports; 'the player received a caution'

  • booking

    informal British term; 'the defender was booked for time-wasting'

反義詞
  • red card

    the more severe punishment that ends a player's participation immediately

用法筆記

A player who receives two yellow cards in one match is shown a red card and must leave the game. Accumulating yellow cards over several matches can also result in a suspension.

常見錯誤

The referee gave him a yellow card for scoring a goal.
The referee gave him a yellow card for taking his shirt off while celebrating a goal.
💡Scoring a goal is not a yellow-card offence; only rule-breaking actions are punished.
He got a yellow card and had to leave the game immediately.
He got a second yellow card and had to leave the game immediately.
💡A single yellow card is only a warning; a second one (or a straight red card) causes ejection.

2. A sign or caution issued by an authority, indicating that someone will suffer ne

2.名詞B2
釋義

A sign or caution issued by an authority, indicating that someone will suffer negative consequences or punishment if they do not change their behaviour soon.

例句

The regulator's warning letter was a yellow card to the bank before stricter penalties followed.

metaphorical use: a yellow card to [someone/organisation]

Ziad treated the school principal's phone call as a yellow card about his son's behaviour.

同義詞
  • warning

    more general and direct; yellow card adds a sports-matching tone

  • caution

    more formal; used in legal or official contexts

用法筆記

This sense is always metaphorical and draws on the sports meaning. It is common in journalism, business writing, and informal discussion of warnings. The object is typically a person or organisation that has done something wrong.

常見錯誤

The teacher gave me a yellow card for being late to class.' (if used literally in a non-sports school)
The teacher gave me a detention for being late.
💡Outside of sports, yellow card is a metaphor, not a literal school punishment system in most places.

3. In the United Kingdom, an official paper or online form used by patients, doctor

3.名詞C1
釋義

In the United Kingdom, an official paper or online form used by patients, doctors, or pharmacists to report any unwanted effects of a medicine, vaccine, or medical treatment to the national safety agency.

例句

Greta filled out a yellow card after her mother got a rash from a drug.

verb collocation: fill out a yellow card

Adaeze submitted a yellow card online when she noticed hearing problems after her treatment.

verb collocation: submit a yellow card

同義詞

用法筆記

This sense is specific to the UK's Yellow Card Scheme run by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The 'yellow card' here is not a physical card but an online or paper reporting form. It is often capitalised as Yellow Card or Yellow Card Scheme.

yellow-card — verb