flivver

A man drives his flivver down a dusty country road.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A cheap, small, old-fashioned car: "flivver" is a slang term, primarily used in early 20th-century American English, to refer to a small, inexpensive automobile, especially the Ford Model T. It implies a vehicle that is economical but not luxurious or powerful.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • He drove a beat-up old flivver that barely made it up the hill. (A cheap, old car that is not reliable.)
  • During the 1920s, many families bought a flivver as their first car. (An inexpensive automobile for ordinary people.)

Advanced Usage

• "Flivver" as a metaphor for something cheap or inferior: The term can be extended to describe any object or idea that is considered low-quality or makeshift.
  • That plan was a flivver; it fell apart within a week. (A poor or unsuccessful plan.)

Variants and Related Words

• Flivver (adj): Used informally to describe something cheap or shoddy.
  • They bought a flivver house that needed constant repairs. (A cheaply built house.)

Synonyms

• Tin Lizzie: A nickname for the Ford Model T, similar in meaning to "flivver."
• Jalopy: A worn-out, old car.
• Beater: A slang term for a cheap, run-down vehicle.

Related Idioms

• "Not worth a flivver": An old expression meaning something is worthless or of very little value.
  • His old watch was not worth a flivver; it didn't even work. (It had no value.)