English

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An ice wagon (sense 1)

Noun

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ice wagon (plural ice wagons)

  1. (historical) A wagon used for carrying ice.
    • 2015 March 7, James Sullivan, “Traces of Sinatra fade in Hoboken”, in The Boston Globe[1], Boston, M.A.: Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-05-26:
      A proposed $14 million redesign of the city's main artery will bring new traffic lights, crossing signals, and bike lanes to a thoroughfare that can still seem frozen in the days of ice wagons and daily milk deliveries.
  2. (baseball slang) A very slow player.
    • 1914, William T. Ellis, "Billy" Sunday: The Man and His Message, Philadelphia, P.A.: Universal Book and Bible House, page 274:
      He can't hit a thing or he can't get it over the base, or he's an ice wagon on the bases, they say.
    • 1987, Bill O'Neal, The Texas League, 1888–1987: A Century of Baseball, Austin, T.X.: Eakin Press, →ISBN, page 290:
      A veteran first-baseman-catcher, Duke Jantzen, who had played briefly with the Texas Midland in 1896, was engaged as player-manager. Tall and ungainly, Jantzen could wallop a baseball over the outfielders, but he was an "ice wagon"—too slow to get past third.