marching ants
English
Etymology
From the ant-like appearance of the moving dots.
Noun
marching ants pl (plural only)
- (computing, graphical user interface) An animated dotted line indicating which portion of an image is currently selected.
- (motor racing) An animated map of the positions of racecars on a racetrack.
- 2017 May 19, Bruce Martin, “Verizon's INDYCAR Mobile app a handy tool for drivers, fans alike”, in IndyCar[1], archived from the original on 3 June 2017, retrieved 19 February 2026:
- The leaderboard section displays live-time action with a “marching ants” graphic displaying car numbers and positions when cars are on track, along with a complete speed chart.
- 2023 June 19, Alanis King, quoting Jordan Taylor, “A Look Inside Garage 56, NASCAR's Le Mans Revolution”, in Road & Track[2], archived from the original on 5 February 2026, retrieved 19 February 2026:
- I'm mainly looking at timing and scoring. We call them the 'marching ants' as the cars go around the track.
- 2023 December 21, Eric Prill, quotee, “Super Tour and Runoffs to use Flagtronics in 2024”, in Sports Car Club of America[3], archived from the original on 18 October 2025, retrieved 19 February 2026:
- This is what they call a 'marching ants' display, where every vehicle displays on a Google Earth map.