Cabooses

/kəˈbusəz/ noun

Definition

The plural of caboose; small railroad cars at the end of a freight train where crew members rode and records were kept.

Etymology

From 'caboose', possibly from Dutch 'kombuis' (galley on a ship) or Portuguese 'caboose'. The term transferred from ship galleys to railroad cars in American English.

Kelly Says

Red cabooses were iconic symbols of railroads, but most disappeared in the 1980s when computers replaced the need for crew to physically ride at the train's end to monitor it.

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