Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A strait: The Dardanelles is the narrow strait in northwestern Turkey that connects the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara, forming part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia.
   • A military campaign: The Dardanelles Campaign was a major but unsuccessful Allied operation of World War I in 1915, aimed at capturing the strait and opening a sea route to Russia.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun (Geographical feature):

  • The ancient city of Troy was located near the entrance to the Dardanelles.
  • Ships must navigate carefully through the Dardanelles due to its strong currents.

• Proper noun (Historical event):

  • The Gallipoli landings were a pivotal part of the Dardanelles Campaign.
  • Winston Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, was a key architect of the Dardanelles operation.

Advanced Usage

• "The Dardanelles question": A historical term referring to the strategic and diplomatic issues concerning control and passage rights through the strait, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
  • The "Dardanelles question" was a persistent theme in European diplomacy leading up to World War I.

Variants and Related Words

• Hellespont: (n) The ancient name for the Dardanelles strait.

  • In Greek mythology, Leander swam the Hellespont to see his love, Hero.

• Gallipoli Campaign: (n) Often used synonymously with the Dardanelles Campaign, though technically it refers specifically to the land operations on the Gallipoli peninsula.

  • The Gallipoli Campaign is a defining moment in the national histories of Australia and New Zealand.

Synonyms

• The Straits: (n, historical/contextual) A term sometimes used to refer collectively to the Turkish Straits (the Dardanelles and the Bosporus).
• Çanakkale Boğazı: (n) The modern Turkish name for the Dardanelles strait.

Related Phrases

• Forcing the Dardanelles: A historical phrase describing the naval attempt to break through the strait's defenses.
  • The plan involved forcing the Dardanelles with a fleet of obsolete battleships.

Related Idioms

• "A Dardanelles of problems": (Rare, literary) An idiom suggesting a narrow but heavily defended passage through a series of difficulties, drawing an analogy to the military campaign.
  • The new legislation faced a Dardanelles of problems in parliament.

Noun

1. the unsuccessful campaign in World War I (1915) by the English and French to open a passage for aid to Russia; defeated by the Turks
2. the strait between the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara that separates European Turkey from Asian Turkey