Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Subscribe

Archives



Jun 7, 2022
This week’s theme
British streets that became words

This week’s words
Coronation Street
stepney
Pepper Alley
Carnaby
Acacia Avenue

stepney
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

stepney

PRONUNCIATION:
(STEP-nee)

MEANING:
noun:
1. A spare wheel or a spare tire.
2. Something or someone treated as a backup.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Stepney Street in Llanelli, Wales, where such wheels were initially manufactured. Earliest documented use: 1907.

NOTES:
In the early days, automobiles did not come with a spare wheel. At the same time, roads were often not in good condition. Also, they were more likely to have nails that had fallen from horseshoes. As a result, flat tires or punctures were common. Walter and Thomas Davies started a business manufacturing compact spare wheels at Stepney Street and it took off. As a result, such wheels came to be known as stepneys. These days the term is used mostly on the Indian subcontinent.

USAGE:
“‘It’s the off-tyre here!’ he muttered angrily. ‘You have a stepney, of course?’”
Mark Hodder; Sexton Blake Versus the Master Crooks; Rebellion; 2020.

“Here we can’t manage one wife, and you have a stepney before your first wife has even been declared legally dead.”
Kiran Manral; Missing Presumed Dead; Amaryllis; 2018.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Truth-tellers are not always palatable. There is a preference for candy bars. -Gwendolyn Brooks, poet (7 Jun 1917-2000)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith