land yacht

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English

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 land yacht on Wikipedia
An early 20th century land yacht used in land sailing
A 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood, an example of a land yacht sedan

Alternative forms

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Noun

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land yacht (plural land yachts)

  1. A vehicle used in land sailing, consisting of little more than a carriage and a sail.
    Synonyms: sail wagon, sand yacht
  2. (colloquial) A long, heavy, luxurious automobile, providing a comfortable ride but poor handling characteristics.
    • 1978 October, Michael Lamm, “Driving the '79 General Motors Cars”, in Popular Mechanics:
      For example, will the traditional Eldorado buyer willingly step from his 5052-pound, 19-foot-long 1978 land yacht into a 1979 version weighing 1155 pounds less and measuring nearly two feet shorter? Is he willing to pay the same or more cash for this smaller, lighter car?
    • 2013, Greta Olson, Criminals as Animals from Shakespeare to Lombroso:
      A frequently cited example is a “land yacht” to describe an SUV: this blend creates a structure out of the ideas behind it, suggesting that the large car moves on the road like a yacht over water
    • 2017, Robert Lashley, The Mind Full:
      She owned a land yacht of a car called a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. It had the softest suspension of any car he had ridden in.

Usage notes

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  • The automotive sense is most often, but not exclusively, applied to full-size sedans and coupes of the 1960s and 1970s.

Translations

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