cadillac converter
/ˈkædəˌlæk kənˈvɝtɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.14 in modern English
27
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
5
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Synonym of catalytic converter (“chamber containing a finely divided platinum catalyst in which carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons from vehicle exhaust are oxidized to carbon dioxide”).
Humorous
Example Sentences
- "Anyway, wherever he was, all he ever talked about was Cadillac converters and pipe. His work with pipe paid off when he was awarded the honor of "Repairman of the Week.""
- "He then asked, “What is a Cadillac converter?” At this point, I'm thinking he doesn't know much about cars; therefore, I went on to explain. From the look on his face, I knew he was setting me up for an attack. He replied, "The proper words are catalytic converter.""
- "We were a strong competitor throughout the competition, but then the Cadillac''' converter fell off, which hurt our emissions and place in the overall standings."
Etymology
From the similarity between catalytic and Cadillac (“brand of luxury automobile”), probably originally a mondegreen (“error arising from the mishearing of a phrase”) and used humorously to allude to the high cost of catalytic converters.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkædəˌlæk kənˈvɝtɚ/
- British English: /ˈkædɪlæk kənˈvɜːtə/