smoking carriage
- noun
- /ˈsməʊkɪŋ ˈkærɪdʒ/
- Archaic
- He chose to travel in the smoking carriage so he could enjoy a cigarette during the journey.
Examples
-
When regulations changed, the old smoking carriage was converted into a standard compartment.
-
She remembered the thick haze that once filled every smoking carriage on the morning train.
-
I prefer to sit in the smoking carriage on long trips.
-
Did you notice the smoking carriage at the back of the train?
-
He chose to travel in the smoking carriage so he could enjoy a cigarette during the journey.
-
She remembered the thick haze that once filled every smoking carriage on the morning train.
-
Did you notice the smoking carriage at the back of the train?
Synonyms
1
7.0
A train car where people may use tobacco
1
5.3
A section of a train for people who want to light cigarettes
1
6.0
A train car where people may light cigarettes
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a railway car where smoking is permitted' is directly derivable from combining 'smoking' (the act of inhaling smoke / relating to smokers) with 'carriage' (a passenger rail vehicle). This is a regular noun-modifier/compound pattern common in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The name smoking carriage comes from old trains that had one car set aside for people to smoke. Imagine a car filling with cigarette smoke and ashtrays; that clear picture shows why smoking carriage means 'a railway car where smoking is allowed'.