# bankrupt cart

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/bankrupt-cart
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A one-horse chaise.

## Examples

- He drove his bankrupt cart to the market.
- The traveler arrived at the village inn riding in a small, weathered bankrupt cart.
- The old merchant preferred the modest pace of his bankrupt cart to the faster carriages favored by the wealthy elite.

## 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. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.