bucket of bolts

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

bucket of bolts (plural buckets of bolts)

1. (idiomatic, slang) A piece of machinery that is not worth more than its scrap value, often an old car.

   Synonyms: rattletrap, rustbucket; see also Thesaurus:old car

   • 2005, Sharyn McCrumb, St. Dale, page 141:

     On the outside, the Trans-Am still looked like a rusty bucket of bolts, but if all his little adjustments kicked in as planned, the thing should take off like a rocket.

Translations

machinery that is not worth more than its scrap value

• Catalan: cafetera (ca) f
• French: tas de ferraille (fr) m (literally “pile of scrap metal”)
• Italian: scarcassone
• Russian: ведро́ с га́йками (vedró s gájkami, literally “bucket of nuts”)
• Serbo-Croatian: krntija (sh) f

See also

• piece of crap, POS