noun General Slang

Struggle Buggy

/ˈstrʌɡ.əl ˌbʌɡ.i/ · noun · slang

The back seat of a courting couple's car, where a flapper had to 'struggle' to keep things proper.

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Definitions

1

A young man's automobile viewed as a site of romantic wrestling, where a date 'struggled' to fend off advances.

“He pulled the struggle buggy down a dark lane and she rolled her eyes.”
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2

By extension, any cheap or beat-up car used for courting.

“Don't expect a limousine, he'll pick you up in his struggle buggy.”
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3

Jokingly, any vehicle that gives its driver a hard time mechanically.

“This old struggle buggy barely makes it up the hill.”
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Struggle Buggy In A Sentence

Mother warned me never to climb into a boy's struggle buggy.
They parked the struggle buggy by the lake and watched the moon.
His struggle buggy had more rust than paint.

Origin & Usage

1920s American courtship slang, born when affordable automobiles gave young couples unprecedented privacy. The term reflects the era's anxiety about back-seat romance and is noted in period slang glossaries of Jazz Age courtship culture.

Variants struggle-buggy
Tags #1920s#flapper#jazz-age#vintage#courtship#automobile

People Also Ask

What is a struggle buggy?

1920s slang for a car used for courting, named for the romantic 'struggle' that went on in the back seat.

Why did cars get courtship slang in the 1920s?

Mass-produced automobiles let young couples escape the chaperoned parlor, so a whole vocabulary grew around dating in cars.

Is struggle buggy the same as a Tin Lizzie?

Not exactly. A Tin Lizzie was specifically a Ford Model T. A struggle buggy was any car defined by its romantic use.

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