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Glite Dictionary
guard's van

guard's van

8.8
A carriage at the end of a train where the guard sits and luggage is kept
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : vagón de guardia
  • The passengers stored their bags in the guard's van at the back of the train.

Examples

  • The guard's van is usually reserved for the train staff and any oversized baggage.

  • After the journey, the guard walked to the guard's van to check if all luggage was secure.

  • Miss Lawson is accompanying her deceased brother but... due to the new regulations she's not permitted in the guard's van.

    The First Great Train Robbery (1978)

Synonyms

baggage car
vsguard's van
  • US
5 3.0

A train car that carries passengers' luggage

also provides a staff compartment positioned at the rear of trains
van
vsguard's van
  • UK
3 4.8

A closed vehicle on a train used to carry luggage or goods

is more specific located at the train end and including a staff compartment
rumble
vsguard's van
  • Archaic
3 9.9

A small seat or luggage area at the back of an old carriage

is a railway carriage used at trains end and for luggage with staff space
luggage van
vsguard's van
  • UK
3.5

A train car that carries passengers' bags

is the same but also has a staff compartment at the train end

Surface Forms

guard's van singular
guards' vans plural

Morphology

guard's + van

The meaning is a straightforward possessive composition: 'guard's' (belonging to the guard) + 'van' (a baggage/carriage), so a learner who knows both words can infer a carriage used by the guard for luggage at the end of a train. While 'van' as a rail carriage is a British usage, the possessive + noun structure and the idea of a baggage vehicle make the expression transparently interpretable at B1 level.

Etymology

Guard's van comes from a small carriage at the end of a train where the guard sat and kept luggage and parcels in the van. So today guard's van means the carriage at the back used by the guard and for keeping luggage.