slip coach
- noun
- Archaic
:
vagón desprendible
- In the past, the slip coach allowed express trains to serve smaller stations without stopping.
Examples
-
The passengers in the slip coach prepared to disembark as the rest of the train sped on.
-
Railway enthusiasts admire the clever engineering behind the slip coach system.
-
The train included a slip coach at the rear.
-
Many passengers prefer the slip coaches for convenience.
-
In the past, the slip coach allowed express trains to serve smaller stations without stopping.
-
The passengers in the slip coach prepared to disembark as the rest of the train sped on.
-
The train included a slip coach at the rear to facilitate quick stops.
Synonyms
A carriage at the end of a moving train released to stop at a station while the train keeps going
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'slip' (to slide or move) and 'coach' (a passenger carriage) give a partial clue that this is a carriage that in some way 'slips' or is separable from a train, so there is a transparent link to the constituents. However, the precise technical meaning—being detached while the train is still moving—is a specialized railway procedure not predictable from the words alone, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would likely not infer the full sense without prior exposure.
Etymology
Slip coach comes from a clever railway trick: a coach at the end of a fast train would slip free while the train kept going, so the detached carriage could 'stop at a station without the rest of the train stopping'. That's why the name means a carriage that is detached while the train is still moving.
