chrome horn

noun

The front bumper of a car when used to bump another vehicle, usually to inform the driver of the other vehicle that the first car would like to pass.

“Dale Earnhardt just put the chrome horn to that lapped car in front of him.”

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Meanings

nounchrome horn (plural chrome horns)

plural chrome horns

  1. idiomaticThe front bumper of a car when used to bump another vehicle, usually to inform the driver of the other vehicle that the first car would like to pass.

    Dale Earnhardt just put the chrome horn to that lapped car in front of him.

Origin

The phrase most likely originated during NASCAR broadcasts in the 1970s, when stock cars still had chrome bumpers.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

chrome horn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chrome%20horn

MLA

“chrome horn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chrome%20horn. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chrome horn,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chrome%20horn.

Source: chrome horn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.