charabanc

1. (British, historical) A horse-drawn, and then later, motorized omnibus with open sides, and often, no roof.Examples: "A little further on, to the right, was a large garage, where the charabancs stood, half in and half out of the yard."; "And full of colored dreams / Deep inside a rainbow / Lived Happiness Stan / In a small Victorian charabanc"; "The cumbersome though finely painted charabanc of the late James style is pulled swaying along by a frisky pony of a plot farcical and romantic."Synonyms: charaBritishhistorical

2. (British, dated) A bus, especially one hired by groups for pleasure outings, what was later called a coach.Examples: "Oh shit, there goes the charabanc! Looks like I'm gonna be stuck here the whole summer"; "Mum had worked there as a teenager and once recalled her duty of having to meet the charabancs that brought the well-heeled to the baths from Droitwich station before the war."Britishdated

3. (British, informal) A vehicle that is slow, overcrowded, or otherwise undesirable.Examples: "We return to the charabanc of a car to find a swarm of children dancing round it, clambering up the back, jumping on the step; the driver sleeps peacefully at the wheel, oblivious of their shrieks."; "Just as I'm thinking my plan has failed an old charabanc of a vehicle slows down and starts hooting."; "It was lucky therefore that I kept an eye on the quayside blackboard by the stern of the "Patmos Star", a charabanc of a daytrip boat that was to transport me and my bags to the tiny island of Lipsí, a short hop from Patmos."Britishinformal