Flivver is a small, cheap, usually old automobile. The term emerged in the early 20th century to describe inexpensive cars like the Ford Model T, and also carried the meaning of "to fail."
Flivver ist ein kleines, billiges, meist altes Auto. Der Begriff entstand im frühen 20. Jahrhundert, um preiswerte Autos wie das Ford Modell T zu beschreiben, und hatte auch die Bedeutung "scheitern".
| Front | flivver \FLIV-er\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun A small cheap usually old automobile. [In 1908, Henry Ford changed the world with the Model T, the first affordable automobile. English speakers quickly coined an array of colorful terms for the Model T and the other relatively inexpensive cars that followed it. No one is sure why cheap cars came to be called "flivvers," but we do know that in the early 1900s that colorful term was also used as a slang verb meaning "to fail," as in "If this film flivvers, I'll be in trouble." In Flappers 2 Rappers: American Youth Slang, author Tom Dalzell lists "flivver" (which made its print debut in 1910, just two years after the Model T hit the streets) among a number of terms applied to "the humble Ford." Others included "bone crusher," "bouncing Betty," "Henry's go-cart," "puddle jumper," "Spirit of Detroit," and "Tin Lizzie."] "She shook my hand -- a man's strong grip -- and then drove away in her flivver." |
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