rustbucket

American  

[ruhst-buhk-it] / ˈrʌstˌbʌk ɪt /

noun

Slang.

1. an old, run-down freighter, especially one whose hull is covered with rust.

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Etymology

Origin of rustbucket

First recorded in 1940–45; rust + bucket

Example Sentences

Duke’s shambolic, dad-joke-cracking Gabe is the source of welcome comic relief in the first half, especially when he proudly shows the family his newly acquired motorboat, a secondhand rustbucket named “Crawdaddy.”

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2019

Who will save us, if not for the prison-sprung rogue and her gang of misfits in their rustbucket freighter?

From Washington Post • Feb. 7, 2018

Thanks to this bowler-hatted schlemiel, Douglas' valuable cargo is taken over by the captain of a Godforsaken rustbucket, who is obviously just a Kidd at heart.

From Time Magazine Archive