bucket of bolts
A piece of machinery that is not worth more than its scrap value, often an old car.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“My old car is just a bucket of bolts.”
“He tried to sell his rusty truck, but everyone knew it was just a bucket of bolts.”
“Despite his deep emotional attachment to the vehicle, he eventually admitted that the rusted machine was nothing more than a bucket of bolts.”
- 01
bolt bucket
A machine, especially an automobile. Implies that the machine is clunky or unreliable.
- 02
bolt from the blue
A complete surprise; something totally unexpected.
- 03
bolt to the bran
To examine thoroughly, so as to separate or discover everything important.
- 04
brain bucket
A protective helmet, as worn, for example, by a motorcyclist, bicyclist, or soldier in combat.
- 05
bucket down
To rain heavily.
- 06
bucket list
A list of tasks arising during a meeting that are put aside to be dealt with later.
- 07
bucket of rust
Synonym of rustbucket.
- 08
bucket of syrup
A sticky, difficult situation.
Last updated August 10, 2026