ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bankrupt cart

idiom
Meaning

A one-horse chaise.


Origin

disputed origin

Said to be so called by a Lord Chief Justice, from their being so frequently used on Sunday jaunts by extravagant shopkeepers and tradesmen.

Examples
SIMPLE

He drove his bankrupt cart to the market.

CONTEXTUAL

The traveler arrived at the village inn riding in a small, weathered bankrupt cart.

COMPLEX

The old merchant preferred the modest pace of his bankrupt cart to the faster carriages favored by the wealthy elite.

Anchors to
Related idioms2entries
  1. 01

    morally bankrupt

    Having no morals, unethical.

  2. 02

    put the cart before the horse

    To put things in the wrong order or with the wrong priorities; to put something inconsequential as more important than something more essential.

© 2026 English Reference