Rattletraps

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A run-down or dilapidated vehicle that makes noise while in motion, often due to old age or poor maintenance
2. An unreliable, noisy machine or contraption that is in a state of disrepair, typically associated with a lack of functionality
3. A clattering and worn-out mode of transport that struggles to operate properly, evoking a sense of danger or ineffectiveness

Etymology: "Rattletraps" is simply the plural of "rattletrap", a noun for an old, rickety vehicle, and the singular is a straightforward compound of two ordinary English words. "Rattle" comes from the sense of something clattering or shaking noisily, while "trap" here is the old sense of a light, two-wheeled carriage or a piece of personal baggage or equipment, so the whole thing describes a vehicle that rattles as it goes. Over time the word lost its pointed sense of the carriage itself and came to suggest any flimsy, shaky object, but the picture of a noisy, loose-jointed cart remains at its core.

Synonyms: junkers, clunkers