boatlift1
/ˈbəʊtlɪft/noun
1A large mechanically operated structure used instead of a lock for transferring canal boats from one level to another.
2Originally and chiefly US. An act of transporting people or supplies by boat, especially an act of transporting refugees in small boats when official modes of transport are blocked.
- Popularized in the early 1980s by the Mariel boatlift, in which a large number of refugees were transported in small boats from Cuba to the United States..
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in The Mechanics' Magazine. From boat + lift.
boatlift2
/ˈbəʊtlɪft/originally and chiefly US
verb
[with object] To transport (a person) as part of a boatlift.
Origin
1980s; earliest use found in The Christian Science Monitor. From boatlift.