- English Idiom Exam Number 1
- English Idiom Exam Number 2
- English Idiom Exam Number 3
- English Idiom Exam Number 4
- English Idiom Exam Number 5
- English Idiom Exam Number 6
- English Idiom Exam Number 7
- English Idiom Exam Number 8
- English Idiom Exam Number 9
- English Idiom Exam Number 10
- English Idiom Exam Number 11
- English Idiom Exam Number 12
total a car (to) [exp]
« Back to Glossary Index
Meaning:
- to smash the car into pieces in an accident.
- to shatter a car into pieces.
- to completely damage a car in an accident.
Examples:
- What! I shouldn’t have lent my car to you boy! You totaled my car in the accident.
- After the accident, his car was so damaged that the mechanic said he had totaled it.
- Be careful driving in the snow! You don’t want to total your car.
- The storm totaled my car, hailstones shattered the windows and dented the roof.
- I totaled my car last night after swerving into a guardrail.
- Drive carefully, roads are icy, and I don’t want you to total your car!
- If you total your car, make sure you know its market value for the insurance claim.
- The flood didn’t just ruin the house; it totaled the car parked outside too.
- She totally totaled her car last week, it’s a miracle no one was hurt.
- The insurance company said my car is totaled because the repairs cost more than it’s worth.
- He totaled his car after hitting a tree on the highway.
Related words for the idiom “to total a car”
Dump-car
A car that is old and kind of like a garbage and it’s time to get rid of that.
- Why is he still driving that dump-car. It is in the repair shop every week.
- This is the third time that its engine dies, she has to get rid of her dump-car.
- Since its exhaust come off, his dump-car makes more noise than a tractor.
- The man’s dump-car pollutes the air.
Junked vehicle
An old or unusable car.
- The police towed away the junked vehicle that has been parked beside the Boston Street for months.
- After that bad accident, the insurance company declared his car as a junked vehicle.
- We sold our junked vehicle to a scrapyard for a few hundred dollars.
- There are several car crushers in that garage that presses many junked vehicles per month.
Scrapped car
Destroyed car that the parts can be used by some other cars or other ways.
- After the engine of the car stopped working, they thought it was time to turn it into a scrapped car.
- The mechanic salvaged some usable and unbroken parts from the scrapped car before disposing it.
- His first car was completely a scrapped car after a bad accident.
- Many scrapped cars are fallen apart for their valuable metals and electronics parts.
Crash car
A car that has been crashed in an accident.
- The repairman checked the crash car to know if it could be repaired.
- After the accident which involved many cars on the highway, several crash cars couldn’t move and blocked traffic.
- I don’t know why he bought a crash car at an auction. Maybe he hoped he could fix it and sell it.
- This garage is expert in repairing crash cars and restoring them to a good condition.
Jalopy
Used for describing a car that is old and in bad condition.
- Look at that jalopy, it rattles while moving.
- I wonder how you could travel all the way with that jalopy! I believe God helped you.
- We can sell me grandpa’s jalopy to a repair man who can utilize usable parts of it.
- He enhanced the engine of his jalopy and made that better than casual cars.
Wrecked car
A car which is fallen apart.
- After the severe collision, all that nothing left from the body of a wrecked car. None of them were recognizable.
- The wrecked car left abandoned on the side of the road, covered in dust.
- He bought a wrecked car cheap and to take some best seller mechanical parts.
- The mechanic said the damage was too severe. The car was changed to a complete wrecked car.
Abandoned car
A car that is not used by its owner and left unusable.
- The thief stole the head lights of abandoned car that has been parked beside the street for almost four years.
- The detective found an abandoned car in the forest that was covered with leaves.
- The only thing left from the abandoned car is the chassis. The tires, windshield and even license plates have been taken.
- The police says that this abandoned car has to do with the crime that has been committed recently in this territory.
Beater
An old car in bad condition.
- I prefer to go to work by my car rather than wait for you to take me by your beater.
- This is winter and this is not suitable for you to use this beater. Change it as soon as possible.
- Hitting the town by motorcycle is more enjoyable than driving this beater.
- If you see this car, you think this is a beater, but in terms of technical it works well.
Clunker
A car that is old or does not work well.
- His clunker always begins to boil in summer.
- He was so lucky that he could sell his clunker as a classic car.
- The engine of his clunker leaks oil and makes the streets dirty.
- She bought a clunker just to learn how to drive without worrying about involving any accident.
Heap
To humorously describe a car which is in poor working situation.
- I was exhausted to death because of driving this heap. The engine would stop working and I had to pull over and open the open the hood and manipulate some fuses to start again.
- I’m sure this heap cannot pass across this steep slope.
- The life of this old heap is really ended. The engine starts but works just for a minute and is switched off suddenly. It needs an electrical repair.
- She always takes care of her heap and keeps it ready because she can’t afford to buy a brand-new car.
Lemon
A useless car that fails to work.
- At first, I thought I bought a great car, but the car turned out to be a lemon.
- Before buying a second-hand car you’d better have a technical consultant check that car so that won’t be a lemon.
- In comparison to American car Chinese car are completely lemon.
- That red car might look good, but it’s actually a lemon with faulty parts.
Old banger
A car old and weak car.
- Nobody buy his old banger because so money has to be spent to have it repaired.
- My uncle has to push the old banger start the engine.
- It was too hard to learn how to drive my dad’s old banger
- My sister won’t sell her old banger because it’s full of memories.
An antonym adjective for the idiom “to total a car”
Brand-new car
Not yet used car.
- The wealthy man surprised his daughter with buying a brand-new car for her birthday.
- This is a brand-new car and you have to take it to the representation do not take it to an ordinary repair shop.
- After three years, he finally could take out a loan and buy a brand-new car.
- He changed his old van for a brand-new car with guarantee.