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rice rocket

rice rocket

1 9.8
A small fast car often made faster with extra parts
  • noun
  • /raɪs ˈrɑkɪt/
  • Offensive
translation icon : [OFENSIVO] coche asiático tuneado (término despectivo)
  • They're called rice rockets.

You know, some freaking jeed out V Ed in a damn rice rocket just ran over you and now he's going to run back over you.

Examples

  • Yes, if your audience wants to see a bunch of long-hairs riding rice rockets.

  • A couple of plastic rice rockets?

    Blog text (29)
  • Also, a lot of the Hot Rod magazines are leaving old hot rods for the newer muscle cars, and some rice rockets.

    Blog text (31)
  • It seems the young ones (not all) on the rice rockets think they’re immortal—until they’re not.

    Blog text (18)
  • The street was filled with fast cars, but the most impressive was the sleek rice rocket zooming by.

  • He customized his rice rocket with flashy decals and a loud exhaust to stand out at the car show.

  • Many young drivers love to modify their rice rockets for performance, making them perfect for racing.

How Fast

sports car
50 2.8
rice rocket
  • Offensive
1 9.8
compact car
  • US
4 2.8
subcompact
  • US
3 4.3

Surface Forms

rice rocket singular
rice rockets plural

Morphology

rice + rocket

The noun 'rocket' gives a clear cue of speed, so a learner might infer the phrase refers to something fast, but the 'rice' component is a slang/cultural marker (alluding to Asian-made cars or modified low-cost tuners) that is not derivable from the literal meaning of 'rice'. Because part of the meaning (fast vehicle) is inferable but the sociocultural, derogatory nuance requires prior exposure, the item is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Rice rocket is a slang name that mixes rice and rocket to create a clear picture: rice points to small Asian-made cars or to flashy, added parts, and rocket suggests great speed. So the phrase now means 'a small, often modified car that is made to look or go very fast', though the term can sound rude to some people.