auto mechanics
1
3.4
- noun
- /ˈɔːtoʊ məˈkænɪks/
- US
:
mecánica automotriz
- In the past two years, I have had the following experiences with dishonest auto mechanics:
Examples
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Prerequisites in these areas may be required for a multitude of target courses, ranging from those providing further study in English and mathematics to those in vocational areas such as auto mechanics or respiratory care.
Academic text (2008) -
The best among them taught useful skills like cosmetology or auto mechanics.
Academic text (2003) -
You know how much auto mechanics make?
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Country kids took shop, practical math, practical English, agriculture, auto mechanics, and home economics.
Academic text (2003) -
I am not suggesting that all auto mechanics are dishonest.
Blog text (13) -
As skilled fix-it men and women (yes, there are excellent auto mechanics who happen to be women) become less and less in number, they will be able to charge more and more.
Blog text (13) -
More than most professions, auto mechanics certainly have the opportunity to push the boundaries of honesty, because it is difficult for non-knowledgeable individuals to check things for themselves.
Blog text (13) -
Additionally, most people interact with auto mechanics on a far more frequent and consistent basis than electricians, contractors, plumbers, lawyers, etc.
Blog text (13) -
Resources: Internet, textbooks, encyclopedia, dictionary, and community resources such as automotive engineers, design professionals, auto mechanics, police department, crash investigators, and drivers' education instructors.
Academic text (2008) -
Many students at the community college are pursuing a degree in auto mechanics to prepare for careers in the automotive industry.
Surface Forms
Morphology
auto + mechanics
The meaning 'craft, skill, or profession of building and repairing automobiles' is transparently compositional from 'auto' (automobile) + 'mechanics' (practical procedures/skills). Even though 'auto' was not listed in the dictionary entry, it is a common abbreviation for automobile and the noun+noun composition directly signals the field of car repair, a pattern familiar across many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would infer the meaning.
Etymology
The noun auto mechanics comes from the two words auto (car) and mechanics (people who work on machines). Picture someone under a car with tools fixing the engine, so the phrase means 'the work of building and fixing cars'.