paddy wagon

noun

A police van for transporting prisoners.

Similar
Black Mariacattle carpatrol vanpatrol wagonpie wagonpolice wagonpolice vanwagon
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Meanings

nounpaddy wagon (plural paddy wagons)

plural paddy wagons · alternative paddywaggon · alternative paddy waggon · alternative paddywagon

  1. slangA police van for transporting prisoners.

    Synonyms: Black Maria, cattle car, patrol van, patrol wagon, pie wagon, police wagon

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA police van for transporting prisoners.

Similar
Black Mariacattle carpatrol vanpatrol wagonpie wagonpolice wagon

More synonyms by meaning

nounvan used by police to transport prisoners

Similar
police vanpolice wagonpatrol wagonwagonblack Maria
Broader
van
Also see
black mariadivvy vanpatrol vanpatrol wagonpie wagonpolice vanpolice wagonwagon

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Supposedly from Paddy, a derogatory name for an Irishman.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Danish salatfad
  • salatfada police van for transporting prisoners
Finnish mustamaija
  • mustamaijaa police van for transporting prisoners
French panier à salade
  • panier à saladea police van for transporting prisoners
German Grüne Minna
  • Grüne Minnaa police van for transporting prisoners
Italian cellulare
  • cellularea police van for transporting prisoners
Norwegian marja
  • marjaa police van for transporting prisoners
Polish radiowóz, suka
  • radiowóza police van for transporting prisoners
  • sukaa police van for transporting prisoners
Portuguese camburão
  • camburãoa police van for transporting prisoners
Russian вороно́к, чёрный во́рон
  • вороно́к (voronók)a police van for transporting prisoners
  • чёрный во́рон (čórnyj vóron)a police van for transporting prisoners
  • автоза́к (avtozák)a police van for transporting prisoners
Spanish lechera
  • lecheraa police van for transporting prisoners
Swedish polisbuss, piketbuss
  • polisbussa police van for transporting prisoners
  • piketbussa police van for transporting prisoners
  • fångtransporta police van for transporting prisoners
Ukrainian автоза́к
  • автоза́к (avtozák)a police van for transporting prisoners
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: paddy wagon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.