Hoover wagon

English

Etymology

Herbert Hoover, US president at the start of the Great Depression, + wagon.

Noun

Hoover wagon (plural Hoover wagons)

1. (US, chiefly historical) A broken-down or permanently out-of-gas car pulled by a horse, chiefly in the US during the Great Depression.
   • 1961, Ralph Allen, Ordeal by Fire: Canada, 1910-1945, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday:

     The Americans had Hoover Wagons, which were engineless or permanently out-of-gas automobiles drawn by mules or horses. The Canadian name was Bennett Buggies.

   • 1990, Roy M. Davis, Paw Paw River Times & People:

     During that time Hoover wagons and Hoover buggies were known as the standard of quality throughout this area.

   • 2008, The Barnes Review:

     "Hoover wagons" were old cars pulled by horses since their owners could no longer pay for gasoline. The way things are going, we may be seeing Hoover wagons again before long.