taxi-rank
Definition
- Noun:
- A designated parking area for taxis: "taxi-rank" refers to a specific location, often at an airport, train station, or city center, where taxis wait in line to pick up passengers. It is a fixed point where taxis are legally permitted to queue for hire.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Please wait at the taxi-rank outside the terminal to find a cab. (A designated waiting area for taxis.)
- The taxi-rank was full of cars, so I had to walk to the next one. (The queue of taxis was completely occupied.)
Advanced Usage
"to join the taxi-rank": to enter the queue of taxis waiting for passengers.
- New drivers must join the taxi-rank and wait their turn. (They must line up and wait in order.)
"to be off the taxi-rank": to be unavailable because the taxi has left the designated area.
- The driver is off the taxi-rank, so you'll need to call another service. (The taxi is not currently waiting in line.)
Variants and Related Words
Taxi (n): a car that carries passengers for a fare, typically metered.
- I hailed a taxi to get to the hotel. (I called a cab.)
Rank (n): a line or row of people or things, especially in an orderly arrangement.
- The soldiers stood in rank. (They stood in a straight line.)
Synonyms
- Cab stand: a place where taxis wait for customers.
- Taxi stand: another term for taxi-rank, especially in American English.
- Hackney stand: a formal term for a taxi-rank, often used in British English.
Phrasal Verbs
- Pull up to the rank: to drive a taxi into the designated queue.
- The driver pulled up to the rank and turned off the engine. (He positioned the taxi in the line.)
Related Idioms
At the head of the rank: to be first in the queue of taxis.
- The taxi at the head of the rank took the passenger. (The first taxi in line accepted the fare.)
Jump the rank: to skip ahead in the taxi queue improperly.
- He was fined for trying to jump the rank. (He attempted to bypass waiting taxis.)