jalopy

[ juh-lop-ee ]

noun

, Informal.

, plural ja·lop·ies.

1. an old, decrepit, or unpretentious automobile.

jalopy

/ dʒəˈlɒpɪ /

noun

1. informal.
   a dilapidated old car

Word History and Origins

Origin of jalopy¹

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of jalopy¹

C20: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

His cause, like a rusty old jalopy, is falling apart before he turned the key.

From The Daily Beast

And yet, not only has the McConnell machine failed to shift into higher gear, it has sputtered worse than a beat-up jalopy.

From The Daily Beast

Whether centrist voters are buying the rhetorical jalopy Mitt Romney is trying to sell them will be key here.

From The Daily Beast

It looked something like a cross between a schoolboy's jalopy and a scaled-down army tank of former times.

From Project Gutenberg

Then they hit the thruway—nine of them packed into the jalopy—the oldest one just seventeen years old.

From Project Gutenberg

Did you own what we used to call in my day an old jalopy while you were still in Fort Worth?

From Project Gutenberg

That picture of that automobile there was quite an old jalopy, sir.

From Project Gutenberg