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Glite Dictionary
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curbstoner

curbstoner

1 9.9
A person who sells cars without a dealer license, often illegally
  • noun
  • /ˈkɜːrbˌstoʊnər/
  • US
translation icon : vendedor informal
  • Many unsuspecting people have lost money to a curbstoner offering deals on used cars.

Examples

  • In many cities, curbstoners operate without permits, leading to concerns about consumer protection.

  • The city warned buyers to avoid purchasing vehicles from a curbstoner.

  • He was caught acting as a curbstoner after selling several cars without a license.

  • The police arrested a curbstoner for selling stolen cars.

  • Many curbstoners operate in this neighborhood.

  • Many buyers have been cheated by a curbstoner who didn't provide a valid title for the car.

  • The authorities are cracking down on curbstoners who sell defective cars to unsuspecting customers.

Synonyms

dealer
vscurbstoner
  • NSFW
384 6.5

A person who buys and sells illegal goods like drugs and stolen items

sells vehicles without licence rather than dealing mainly in drugs or stolen items
trafficker
vscurbstoner
  • NSFW
62 8.0

A person who illegally buys and sells goods or people

sells vehicles without an official licence, often in illegal or unethical ways
black marketeer
vscurbstoner
  • NSFW
1 7.5

A person who secretly sells scarce or controlled goods for money

sells unlicensed vehicles directly to buyers, focusing on cars rather than controlled goods

Antonyms

car dealer
18 1.4

A person or company that buys and sells cars

Surface Forms

curbstoner singular
curbstoners plural

Morphology

curbstoner = curbstone (opaque) = curb + stone + er

This car-dealer sense is a later specialized extension of the older curbstone-broker term, so the parts do not reliably yield the modern meaning.

Etymology

Curbstoner comes from sellers who worked from the street curb, the 'edge of the road', instead of from a shop, and some sold cars that way without a dealer license. So, a curbstoner often means a person who sells cars on the street and may be acting illegally.