Railroad cart

[Jonathan Lighter]

Obviously 'cause when they're still alive they're "mortal."

  Though somebody who's going to be "immortal" after he's dead is likely to be "legendary" while he's alive.

  JL

"Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU> wrote:
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On 4/17/07, Se=E1n Fitzpatrick requested a term f=
or
> =09=09 the small, four-wheeled, man-powered
> carts used by railroad maintenance crews. They often had a two-man
> rocker crank handle, although the one in this picture seems to have a=20
rotary
> crank handles.

Benjamin Zimmer suggested
>>>>
"Hand-car" is one name for it. OED def: "a light car propelled by
cranks or levers worked by hand, used in the inspection and repairing
of a railway line."

As featured in the movie _O Brother Where Art Thou?_:
http://www.stangarner.com/obrother.html
<<<<

And the immortal Edward Gorey's "The Willowdale Handcar" (hyphen?).

(Why do we call people "immortal" only after they're dead?)

m a m


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