rumble seat

American  

noun

1. British, dickey.  a seat recessed into the back of a coupe or roadster, covered by a hinged lid that opens to form the back of the seat when in use.

2. Furniture. wagon seat.

3. Slang. the buttocks.

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rumble seat British  

noun

1. a folding outside seat at the rear of some early cars; dicky

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Etymology

Origin of rumble seat

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

The GM Heritage Center has the starting price for the model listed at $1,495, which included a 100 hp straight-eight engine, 3-speed manual transmission and rumble seat.

From Fox News • Jul. 27, 2020

Abby and her younger brother, Peter, would be ensconced in the rumble seat, which had been modified so they could lay down and doze in it while the Packard motored on.

From Washington Post • Aug. 12, 2019

Mr. Murdoch, wearing sunglasses, sat on a backward-facing rumble seat as they made their way to the Trump-refurbished Macleod House, a 15th century mansion, where they had dinner.

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2017

Crabtree showed Sultemeier and Nathan Gairhan, both of Rogers, several of the vehicles and opened the rumble seat on a convertible roadster owned by Marcia Cothran of Pea Ridge.

From Washington Times • Jul. 4, 2015

And so I spent months riding in the rumble seat of my gram’s car to and from Westwood and hours sitting in the waiting room, until the day they let us know their findings.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko