charabanc means A horse-drawn, and then later, motorized omnibus with open sides, and often, no roof. Lexicurio rates it Distinctive — a strength score of 64 out of 100.
Why this word is great
CHARABANC — [Noun] A large motorized or horse-drawn vehicle, typically open-sided, used historically for group pleasure outings. From the French char-à-bancs, literally meaning "carriage with benches" (from char, "carriage," à, "with," and bancs, "benches"). Unlike an omnibus, a workhorse of prosaic transit, or a modern coach, a capsule of sealed comfort, the charabanc was an engine of collective, ramshackle leisure. It is the scent of damp wool and petrol fumes on a country lane, the shared thrill of wind whipping at holiday hats, and the fading echo of off-key voices singing toward the seaside—a mobile, democratic machine for joy, now a relic carrying us into the memory of happiness as a destination you could all drive to together.
noun
- A horse-drawn, and then later, motorized omnibus with open sides, and often, no roof.“A little further on, to the right, was a large garage, where the charabancs stood, half in and half out of the yard.”
- A bus, especially one hired by groups for pleasure outings, what was later called a coach.“Oh shit, there goes the charabanc!
Looks like I'm gonna be stuck here the whole summer”
- A vehicle that is slow, overcrowded, or otherwise undesirable.“We return to the charabanc of a car to find a swarm of children dancing round it, clambering up the back, jumping on the step; the driver sleeps peacefully at the wheel, oblivious of their shrieks.”
- An elaborate production or endeavor involving many people or things.“For all their lean and hungry look, and for all they wear the simplest of dhotis around their loins, they usually have clever accomplices in the crowd, and a whole charabanc full of invisible wires and concealed cabinets.”
verb
- To travel or convey by charabanc.