Rolls-Royce
- Also called (informal): Rolls a make of very high-quality, luxurious, and prestigious British car. The Rolls-Royce company is no longer British-owned
- anything considered to be the very best of its kind
Show More
Word Origin
named after its designers, Charles Stewart Rolls (1877–1910), English pioneer motorist and aviator, and Sir (Frederick) Henry Royce (1863–1933), English engineer, who founded the Rolls-Royce Company (1906)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Examples from the Web for rolls-royce
Contemporary Examples
He claimed that his work as Genie was a favor to company, which he considered the “Rolls-Royce of animation.”
So he was sent away in 1964 to apprentice at the Rolls-Royce plant in England.
At age 36 he traded in his Ford for a Rolls-Royce, hired a chauffeur, and moved his boys from public school to a private one.
He drove a Rolls-Royce and smoked Cuban Cohibas, but wore track suits, medallions, and trainers.
He made headlines in 2003 when his Rolls-Royce caught fire while he and his girlfriend were inside.
Billionaire’s Daughter Bombarded with Marriage Offers and Nude PhotosThe Telegraph
September 28, 2012
Historical Examples
"It's Broadfoot's—Rolls-Royce, six cylinder," he replied promptly.
Ambrotox and Limping DickOliver Fleming
He looks like a tailor's model, and acts like a Rolls-Royce.
The Gold GirlJames B. Hendryx
A fellow with a Rolls-Royce has a better chance than a man with a Ford.
John BrownCaptain R. W. Campbell
As a result no American-built Rolls-Royce engine was ever made.
America's Munitions 1917-1918Benedict Crowell
The Rolls-Royce gave a faintly stertorous sigh and began to move.
Mortal CoilsAldous Huxley
Word Origin and History for rolls-royce
Rolls-Royce
n.
registered 1908 as trademark, named for designers C.S. Rolls (1877-1910) and Sir Henry Royce (1863-1933). Figurative use from 1916 for any product deemed to be of high quality. Shortened form Rolls first attested 1928.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper