land yacht

English

An early 20th century land yacht used in land sailing

A 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood, an example of a land yacht sedan

Alternative forms

• landyacht, land-yacht

Noun

land yacht (plural land yachts)

1. A vehicle used in land sailing, consisting of little more than a carriage and a sail.

   Synonyms: sail wagon, sand yacht

2. (colloquial) A long, heavy, luxurious automobile, providing a comfortable ride but poor handling characteristics.
   • 1978 October, Michael Lamm, “Driving the '79 General Motors Cars”, in Popular Mechanics:

     For example, will the traditional Eldorado buyer willingly step from his 5052-pound, 19-foot-long 1978 land yacht into a 1979 version weighing 1155 pounds less and measuring nearly two feet shorter? Is he willing to pay the same or more cash for this smaller, lighter car?

   • 2013, Greta Olson, Criminals as Animals from Shakespeare to Lombroso:

     A frequently cited example is a “land yacht” to describe an SUV: this blend creates a structure out of the ideas behind it, suggesting that the large car moves on the road like a yacht over water

   • 2017, Robert Lashley, The Mind Full:

     She owned a land yacht of a car called a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. It had the softest suspension of any car he had ridden in.

Usage notes

• The automotive sense is most often, but not exclusively, applied to full-size sedans and coupes of the 1960s and 1970s.

Translations

vehicle used in land sailing

• Russian: колёсный бу́ер m (koljósnyj bújer)

long, heavy automobile

• Russian: чемода́н (ru) m (čemodán) (of a sedan; slang)