Decrepit car
Encyclopedia
A decrepit car is an old, dilapidated and often rusty and dysfunctional car. Such a vehicle is not a well kept antique car, but a car which is mostly rundown or damaged. Such a vehicle is often known as a banger (British English), clunker or old rust bucket (British and American English) or jalopy
, hooptie or beater (American English).
When an old banger gets to a state in which its maintenance becomes too expensive, its owner can be required to make a decision about its fate. Some owners abandon it on the road as a parked car (an action forbidden by law in most jurisdictions). If it remains parked, homeless people may sleep in it or the local authority commonly tow
s it to the scrap yard. Other people may then sell it (or deliver it) to be stripped for spare parts for use in other vehicles.
During the 1930s, the market for used cars first started to grow, and decrepit cars were often a poor man's form of transport. Cheap dealers could obtain the cars for very little, make aesthetic adjustments, and sell the car for much more. Early hot rod
ders also purchased bangers as the basis for racers, and early stock car racing was called banger racing
in the United Kingdom and "jalopy racing" in the United States.
, and most Commonwealth
countries, "banger" is the favoured term for old decrepit cars. The origin of the word is unknown, but could refer to the noises old cars sometimes make, such as loud bangs and splutters – a reference to older poorly maintained vehicles' tendency to back-fire
.
. The term was used extensively in the book On the Road
by Jack Kerouac
, first published in 1957, although written from 1947. It is possible that the non Spanish
-speaking New Orleans-based longshoremen, referring to scrapped autos destined for Jalapa
, Mexico
scrapyards, pronounced the destination on the palettes "jalopies" rather than multiples or possessive of Jalapa. A 1929 definition reads as follows: "Jaloppi--A cheap make of automobile; an automobile fit only for junking." The definition has stayed the same, but it took a while for the spelling to standardize. Among the variants have been jallopy, jaloppy, jollopy, jaloopy, jalupie, julappi, jalapa, and jaloppie.
children's television series called Brum features an old banger as the main character.
Jalopy
A jalopy is a decrepit car, often old and in a barely functional state. A jalopy is not a well kept antique car, but a car which is mostly rundown or beaten up. As a slang term in American English, "Jalopy" was noted in 1924 but is now slightly passé...
, hooptie or beater (American English).
When an old banger gets to a state in which its maintenance becomes too expensive, its owner can be required to make a decision about its fate. Some owners abandon it on the road as a parked car (an action forbidden by law in most jurisdictions). If it remains parked, homeless people may sleep in it or the local authority commonly tow
Towing
Towing is the process of pulling or drawing behind a chain, line, bar or some other form of couplings. Towing is most visibly performed by road vehicles, but anything from waterborne vessels to tractors to people can tow cargo. Troop carrying and cargo carrying gliders were towed behind powered...
s it to the scrap yard. Other people may then sell it (or deliver it) to be stripped for spare parts for use in other vehicles.
During the 1930s, the market for used cars first started to grow, and decrepit cars were often a poor man's form of transport. Cheap dealers could obtain the cars for very little, make aesthetic adjustments, and sell the car for much more. Early hot rod
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
ders also purchased bangers as the basis for racers, and early stock car racing was called banger racing
Banger racing
Banger Racing is a tarmac or dirt track racing type of motorsport event popularised in both North America and Europe and especially United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands in which drivers of old vehicles race against one another around a race track and the race is...
in the United Kingdom and "jalopy racing" in the United States.
Banger
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and most Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
countries, "banger" is the favoured term for old decrepit cars. The origin of the word is unknown, but could refer to the noises old cars sometimes make, such as loud bangs and splutters – a reference to older poorly maintained vehicles' tendency to back-fire
Back-fire
A Back-fire or backfire is an explosion produced by a running internal combustion engine that occurs in the air intake or exhaust system rather than inside the combustion chamber. The same term is used when unburned fuel or hydrocarbons are ignited somewhere in the exhaust system. A visible flame...
.
Jalopy
In the United States, the archaic word for a decrepit car is jalopyJalopy
A jalopy is a decrepit car, often old and in a barely functional state. A jalopy is not a well kept antique car, but a car which is mostly rundown or beaten up. As a slang term in American English, "Jalopy" was noted in 1924 but is now slightly passé...
. The term was used extensively in the book On the Road
On the Road
On the Road is a novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, written in April 1951, and published by Viking Press in 1957. It is a largely autobiographical work that was based on the spontaneous road trips of Kerouac and his friends across mid-century America. It is often considered a defining work of...
by Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
, first published in 1957, although written from 1947. It is possible that the non Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-speaking New Orleans-based longshoremen, referring to scrapped autos destined for Jalapa
Jalapa
* Xalapa, Veracruz* Jalapa, Baja California* Jalapa, Guerrero* In the state of Oaxaca:** Santa María Jalapa del Marqués** San Felipe Jalapa de Díaz** Jalapa del Valle* Jalapa, Tabasco...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
scrapyards, pronounced the destination on the palettes "jalopies" rather than multiples or possessive of Jalapa. A 1929 definition reads as follows: "Jaloppi--A cheap make of automobile; an automobile fit only for junking." The definition has stayed the same, but it took a while for the spelling to standardize. Among the variants have been jallopy, jaloppy, jollopy, jaloopy, jalupie, julappi, jalapa, and jaloppie.
Popular culture
The BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
children's television series called Brum features an old banger as the main character.