Dustcart

/ˈdʌstkɑːrt/ noun

Definition

A vehicle used by sanitation workers to collect garbage and refuse from homes and streets, mainly in British English.

Etymology

Compound of 'dust' (fine particles, by extension waste/refuse) and 'cart' (a wheeled vehicle). 'Dust' has long been used colloquially for garbage in British English since the 1800s.

Kelly Says

The term 'dustcart' reveals how British English repurposed the word 'dust' to mean all household waste—it's why garbage collectors are called 'dustmen' in the UK, a job immortalized in the Beatles song 'Lady Madonna'!

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