black maria

/'blækmə'raiə/

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Certainly! Let's break down the term "black maria."

Definition:

1. Black Maria: A noun that refers to a specific type of vehicle used by police to transport prisoners. It is often a van or a wagon that is designed to securely hold individuals in custody.

Usage Instructions:

• You can use "black maria" when talking about police transport, especially in discussions about law enforcement or criminal justice.

Example:

• "After the arrest, the suspect was placed in a black maria to be taken to the police station."

Advanced Usage:

In more formal writing or discussions about law enforcement, you might say: - "The officers secured the detainees in the black maria, ensuring their safe transport to the detention facility."

Word Variants:

While "black maria" does not have direct variants in terms of different forms (like verbs or adjectives), you might encounter related terms such as: - Police van: A more general term for a vehicle used by police for transporting people. - Paddy wagon: Another informal term for a police vehicle used for prisoners.

Different Meanings:

• In some contexts, "black maria" can also refer to a card game, specifically a variant of whist, where players try to avoid winning certain cards, like hearts or the queen of spades. However, this usage is less common today.

Synonyms:

• Police van
• Prisoner transport vehicle
• Paddy wagon (informal)

Idioms:

There aren't specific idioms directly related to "black maria," but you might encounter phrases like "in the back of the paddy wagon," which informally means being arrested or taken away by police.

Phrasal Verbs:

There are no specific phrasal verbs associated with "black maria," but you might see phrases like: - "Take someone away" (to arrest and transport someone).

Summary:

"Black maria" primarily refers to a police vehicle used for transporting prisoners. It can also denote a card game variant.

Academic

Noun

1. a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
2. van used by police to transport prisoners

Synonyms

• hearts
• Black Maria
• police van
• police wagon
• paddy wagon
• patrol wagon
• wagon
• black Maria