auto court
Auto court is a dated North American term for a motel — the roadside accommodation designed specifically for travelers arriving by car.
Definitions
Auto court is a dated North American term for a motel — the roadside accommodation designed specifically for travelers arriving by car. Back when motels were a fresh concept in mid-20th century America, 'auto court' described those early motor-friendly lodgings where you could pull right up to your room. The term has largely been replaced by 'motel' and 'motor inn,' but auto court has a nostalgic charm that evokes Route 66, road trip culture, and the golden age of American automobile travel.
They pulled off the highway and checked into a little auto court that hadn't changed much since the 1950s.
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(North America, dated) A motel.
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- motor court85%
A dated North American term for what we now call a motel — a roadside lodging built to accommodate travelers arriving by car, with parking right outside each room. Motor courts were the mid-20th century answer to long road trips, giving drivers a convenient, affordable place to stop without the formality of a traditional hotel. The term conjures neon signs, Route 66, and the golden age of American road travel before 'motel' became the universal word.
- motor court83%
(North America, dated) A motel.
- automocar58%
(slang, rare, humorous) An automobile.
- automocar57%
A rare, humorous, and deliberately archaic-sounding slang term for an automobile. Typically used in a jokey, old-fashioned register — someone using "automocar" is playing at affected formality or gentle mockery of the earnest early-20th-century vocabulary around motor vehicles. It is not in widespread contemporary use and is more of a comedic affectation than genuine slang. Its humor comes from sounding slightly wrong in a recognizable way.