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Glite Dictionary
swamp buggy

swamp buggy

8.0
A large vehicle with big wheels and a raised body that goes across wet, muddy land
  • noun
  • /swɑmp ˈbʌɡi/
  • US
translation icon : buggy de pantano
  • A tourist attraction allows visitors to see alligator wrestling and journey through the Everglades on swamp buggies.

Examples

  • The truly adventurous can explore the nearby Everglades via swamp buggy.

  • At the Babcock Crescent B Ranch, we joined eight other visitors for a wilderness tour aboard a swamp buggy.

  • We upgraded to his swamp buggy.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Now living only a short distance away, he had a jeep, tractor, swamp buggy, trailer, and an attitude that everything was possible.

    Academic text (2009)

  • That's my swamp buggy.

    The Alligator People (1959)

Synonyms

amphibious vehicle
vsswamp buggy
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A machine like a car that can move on land and in water

is specialized for soft, wet terrain with raised chassis and four wheel drive
marsh buggy
vsswamp buggy
  • US
8.6

A vehicle with big wheels and a high body for driving over marshes

specifies four wheel drive and larger motor build for tougher wet ground

Surface Forms

swamp buggy singular
swamp buggies plural

Morphology

swamp + buggy

The compound combines 'swamp' (wetland) with 'buggy' (a light vehicle), so the meaning 'a vehicle designed for use in swamps' is directly inferable from the constituents. Even if 'buggy' has multiple senses (e.g., baby buggy, dune buggy), the general vehicle sense combined with 'swamp' makes the concept immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

The word swamp buggy comes from the clear image of a swamp, wet muddy land, and a buggy, a small vehicle. It names the big, raised vehicles made to drive through marshes, so it means 'a large vehicle for use in swampy or muddy ground'.