gypsy cab

American  

noun

1. a taxicab that is licensed only to pick up passengers on call by telephone, but that often illegally seeks passengers on the street.

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Etymology

Origin of gypsy cab

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65

Example Sentences

By the late ’80s, Mr. McGurr was working a string of jobs: bike messenger, gas station attendant, moonlighting for a gypsy cab service.

From New York Times • Dec. 9, 2020

“Jitney,” which opened Sunday at the Taper, is set at a gypsy cab station in Pittsburgh’s largely black Hill District, the site of most of Wilson’s plays.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2019

Set in a gypsy cab depot, this early work was the last of Wilson’s 10 plays to reach Broadway, but from all reports the wait was worth it.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2019

We are in the ramshackle room out of which Becker and his fleet of drivers operate their gypsy cab service, taking calls on a rotary pay phone.

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2017

Cabs, Part I. You hail a cab � or, more precisely, a gypsy cab � by extending your arm at waist, not shoulder, level.

From Time Magazine Archive