rattletrap

[ rat-l-trap ]

noun

1. a shaky, rattling rattle rattling object, as a rickety vehicle.

rattletrap

/ ˈrætəlˌtræp /

noun

1. informal.
   a broken-down old vehicle, esp an old car

Word History and Origins

Origin of rattletrap¹

First recorded in 1760–70; rattle ¹ + trap ¹

Example Sentences

But as Charlie hits the highway in her rattletrap Plymouth Barracuda, “Poker Face” takes a lighter turn, one you might recognize from the guest-star-laden procedurals of the ’70s and ’80s.

From New York Times

City leaders were hellbent on a “bold modernization,” as one 1963 headline put it, razing rattletrap buildings for their version of a paved paradise with its million-dollar view of mountains and Puget Sound.

From Seattle Times

When I decided to leave The New York Times for a new career as a college professor in my home state of Texas, I realized we were going to have to get our cars across the country, including my rattletrap of a 2008 Smart.

From New York Times

Fern, played by Frances McDormand, is a woman nearing retirement age, teetering on the edge of financial ruin, who can’t afford to stay in her longtime home and hits the road for a nomadic year in her rattletrap van.

From Slate

Disenchantment prevails as he bounces between rattletrap taxis and fancy safari lodges, unleashing a volley of complaints at squalor and tourist elitism alike.

From Washington Post