ice wagon
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A horse-drawn delivery vehicle for ice: A wagon, historically pulled by horses, used to transport and deliver blocks of ice directly to homes and businesses before the widespread use of electric refrigeration.
Usage
The term "ice wagon" is used to refer specifically to the delivery vehicle from a past era. It is a historical term. * Before refrigerators, the sound of the ice wagon coming down the street was common in summer. * The museum has a restored ice wagon on display to show how food was kept cold in the early 1900s.
Advanced Usage
- Historical Context: The phrase evokes a specific period (late 19th to mid-20th century) and is often used in historical descriptions, memoirs, or period films.
- Her memoir described the childhood ritual of putting a card in the window to tell the ice wagon how many pounds to deliver.
Variants and Related Words
- Ice truck: A motorized vehicle that succeeded the horse-drawn ice wagon for commercial ice delivery.
- Ice delivery: The general service of bringing ice to customers.
- Icehouse: A building where ice was stored before delivery.
Synonyms
- Ice cart
- Delivery wagon (specifically for ice)
Notes on Meaning
- The term is compound, formed from "ice" + "wagon." Its meaning is literal and refers directly to the physical vehicle used for a specific, obsolete service. It does not have modern metaphorical meanings.
Noun
- (formerly) a horse-drawn wagon that delivered ice door to door