cab-rank

A line of taxis waits at the cab-rank outside the train station.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A designated waiting area for taxis: A "cab-rank" is a fixed location, typically at a station, airport, or city street, where taxis line up in order to wait for passengers. It is synonymous with "taxi stand" in British English.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Passengers can find a cab-rank just outside the main entrance of the railway station. (A specific area where taxis wait in a queue.)
  • The cab-rank was empty at midnight, so we had to call a taxi instead. (The waiting area had no available taxis.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be at the cab-rank": to be present and available at the designated taxi waiting area.
  • The driver was at the cab-rank for over an hour before a customer arrived. (The taxi was waiting in the designated line.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cab-ranker (n, informal): a taxi driver who regularly works from a specific cab-rank.
  • The cab-ranker knew all the shortcuts through the city. (A driver familiar with the local area.)

Synonyms

• Taxi stand: a place where taxis wait for passengers.
• Taxi rank: a British synonym for "cab-rank," referring to the same concept.
• Hackney stand: a historical term for a designated area for horse-drawn carriages or taxis.

Related Idioms

• "to work the rank": a phrase used by taxi drivers meaning to wait in a cab-rank for customers.
  • He prefers to work the rank rather than take calls from a dispatch. (He waits in line for passengers instead of accepting pre-booked jobs.)