Meanings
- slanguncountabletrucking; heavy industry; trucking; heavy industryautomotiveThe neutral gear when used while a vehicle is moving, especially when it is used to freewheel so as to save fuel or to coast downhill faster than a vehicle can go in gear.
Near-synonym: neutral
Synonyms: freewheel, overdrive, Georgia overdrive, Jewish overdrive, Mexican overdrive, Polish overdrive, neutral · Antonyms: creeper gear, granny gear, low gear
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe neutral gear when used while a vehicle is moving, especially when it is used to freewheel so as to save fuel or to coast downhill faster than a vehicle can go in gear.
Origin
From the notion (1) that one is flying free as the wind as if on angels' wings, and (2) that one's guardian angel had better be on duty because the practice is unsafe. Compare also Jesus clip, Jesus nut, and Jesus bar. Regarding the various synonyms referring to various places or groups of people, see Mexican overdrive § Etymology.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
angel gear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/angel%20gear
“angel gear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/angel%20gear. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “angel gear,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/angel%20gear.
Source: angel gear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.