static line

American  

noun

Military.

1. a line attached to a parachute pack and to a cable in an aircraft for the purpose of automatically opening the parachute after it is dropped.

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static line British  

noun

1. a line attaching the pack of a parachute to an aircraft, so that the parachute is opened when it has fallen clear of the aircraft

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Etymology

Origin of static line

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Dr Hussain says that, by targeting the dynamic wrinkles – the temporary creases we create when we make a facial expression – static lines are reduced in the long run.

From BBC

“I always take my camera with me, and I learned how to ascend a static line to be able to shoot on the side of cliffs,” she said.

From Seattle Times

In a follow-up, when the twins were 44, the twin who received treatments did not have static lines at rest; her sister did.

From New York Times

I called him on a fuzzy static line with a strange echo in the background and told him our very wanted baby-boy-to-be didn't have a heartbeat anymore.

From Salon

The Guard’s job on June 1 was not to clear protesters, Major DeMarco will say, according to the text, but to “hold a static line,” establishing a new security perimeter around the White House.

From New York Times