Beaver car

[Mark Mandel]

The word isn't specific to your family. In the 50s we played Beaver on
car trips. The first child  to call out "Beaver!" on spotting a
station wagon -- & I remember the wooden sides, but not if they were
required -- scored a point, & that car could not be counted again. The
winner was the first to reach a specified score.

The real winners were our parents, since we were, if not quiet, at
least occupied.

On 8/9/08, Barbara Need <bhneed at gmail.com> wrote:
> Is anyone else familiar with this term? It refers to a station wagon
> with wood (veneer) sides. A game we played on trips when I was a
> child (1960s) was to be the first to spot a "beaver car". I do not
> know how the phrase originated (I will ask my mom when I next speak
> to her). It is possible it has something to do with visits we made to
> friends in Beaver Falls, PA (from near Cleveland), but I don't know.
>
> I tried to do a Google search, but what seemed to be getting was car
> dealerships in places with Beaver as (part of) the name.
>
> Barbara Need
> Chicago
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


--
Mark Mandel

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org