Taxi (pronounced tak-see)
(1) A shortening
of taxicab (itself a truncation of taximeter cab), traditionally a light
vehicle usually fitted with a taximeter, available for hire (with its driver)
to carry passengers to a specified destination; a taxi-truck extends the same
concept to freight.
(2) To
ride or travel in a taxicab
(3) In
aviation, to cause (an aircraft) to move along the ground under its own power,
especially before take-off and after landing, or to cause an aircraft to move
along the ground in this way.
(4) In
military slang, the act of transporting troops or the helicopter or plane used
for the transport.
1907: A
shortened form of taximeter cab, taximeter (automatic meter that records
distance and fare) from the French taximètre,
from the German Taxameter, from Taxanom, the construct a coinage based
on Taxe (tax, charge or scale of
charges), from the Medieval Latin taxa
(tax, charge) + meter. Ultimately
however, taxi may be traced back to the Ancient Greek τάξις (taxis) from τάσσω (to place in a certain
order (in the sense of “commanding an orderly battle line” or “ordaining the
payment of taxes”) to the extent that ταξίδι (taxidi) ("journey" in Modern Greek) originally denoted an
orderly military march or campaign (an "operation whereby displaced parts are put back in their natural situation”)
noted in 1758 in the Medical Latin , a verbal noun of tassein (arrange), from the primitive Indo-European root tag- (to touch, handle). Meter (also metre) in this sense was from the
Old English meter (versification),
from the Latin mētrum, from the
Ancient Greek μέτρον (metron) (meter,
a verse; that by which anything is measured; measure, length, size, limit,
proportion) from the primitive Indo-European root me- (to measure). It seems
the word was in the early fourteenth century re-borrowed after a three-century gap
in recorded use, from Old French metre,
with the specific sense of "metrical scheme in verse" from the Latin mētrum and it has since been part of a structural
language of poetry as well as the general sense related to “measure”. The taximeter, originally a mechanical (clockwork)
device, was later electro-mechanical and finally electronic, was the means by
which the distance travelled was recorded and the fare calculated.
Stuffed:
A tiger, reputedly a thirty-year old male which died from natural causes while
in captivity.
In use since 1820, taxidermy (the stuffing of animal carcases for
purposes of display) combines taxi in classical sense of "arrangement, an
arranging with derma (skin, from the primitive Indo-European der-(to split, flay, peel), the idea again
being an "operation whereby
displaced parts are put back in their natural situation”; Reflecting the popularity of big-game hunting
and the volume of dead animals increasingly available to display as trophies,
the profession of taxidermist was first noted in 1827. Taxonomy (the nomenclature of the science of classification
in zoology, botany etc), dates from 1819, from the (1813) French taxonomie and
was an (irregular) formation from the Ancient Greek taxis (ie the sense of “arrangement") + -nomia
(method), the related forms being taxonomic & taxonomist.
Dating
from 1766, cabriolet (light two-wheeled chaise, a type of horse-drawn carriage),
was from the French cabriolet, from
the Italian cabriole & cabriole (horse caper) + -et. Cabriole
& cabriole were from the Latin capreolus (wild goat), from the
primitive Indo-European kápros (buck,
he-goat) and related to the Old Norse hafr
(he-goat), the Old English hæfr, the Welsh gafr
and the Old Irish gabor. The seemingly strange relationship between
the Latin capreolus (roebuck; wild
goat) and the eighteenth century horse-drawn carriage is explained by the
French cabriole (little caper) a
meaning derived from its light movement, from cabrioler (to leap, caper), from the Italian capriolare (to somersault), from the Latin capreolus (roebuck; wild goat), the idea being of something light
and agile in movement. The larger, more
upscale version of the lightweight carriages the French named cabriolet, “cab” being the common form
in the vernacular. The –et suffix, indicating diminution or
affection, was borrowed from Old French -et,
and its feminine variant -ette, both
derived from the Late Latin -ittus
(and the other gender forms -itta, -ittum).
1966 Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Cabriolet.
In the collector-car market, the Mercedes-Benz W111 (1961-1971) & W112 (1962-1967) remain coveted and, as is usually the case, it's the convertibles which are most sought after, even though the cabriolet lacks the coupé's lovely roofline. Pedants note that although the two-door W111s & W112s are technically a Coupé B & Cabriolet B in the factory's naming system, they're never referred to as such because no other configuration was offered in the model. The W112 (300 SE) is of interest too because of the chrome moldings around the wheel arches, a feature which had been seen on some earlier cars and would be shared by the 600 Grosser (W100, 1963-1981). Criticized by some when they appeared on the 600, the additional chrome on the W112 wasn't to everyone's taste (and it was a "delete option" when new) but it clearly had an enduring appeal because for decades after-market suppliers found a read market among those with later model Mercedes-Benz, BMWs, Jaguars and some others. This is not approved of by the purists and whether in chrome, stainless steel or anodised plastic (!) it makes not difference: the originality police insist if it wasn't done by the factory, it shouldn't be done.
This is one really to upset the originality police because (1) it started life as a coupé, (2) the chrome wheel-arch moldings were never available on this model and (3) the (Fuchs Bundts) aluminium wheels have been chromed (and may anyway be reproductions). Such is the price premium the cabriolets command compared with the coupés, over the years, many have been tempted to cut but exactly to replicate what the factory did is harder than it sounds.
The application of cabriolet to describe
convertible cars emerged in the early years of the continental motor industry
because of the conceptual similarity to the earlier, light horse-drawn
two-seater carriages but as the years went by, although there was never all
that much exactitude in the nomenclature, the terms to describe the variations
in convertible coachwork became merely model names (except for the much later targa which Porsche had the foresight to
register as a trademark) and if a car was called a roadster, drophead coupé, phaeton,
cabriolet or landau, it was an indication only that the roof could (usually) be
removed or folded back. One exception to
that was Daimler-Benz which tightly defined the specifications of roadsters and
landaulets and, with Teutonic thoroughness, in the mid-twentieth century codified
the five variations of Mercedes-Benz cabriolets as Cabriolet A, B, C, D & F
(if ever there was a Cabriolet E, the factory’s definition has never surfaced.
The
taxicabs of Paris were first equipped with meters in 1898; originally called taxibread, they were renamed taximètres in 1904 and the first
six-hundred petrol (gas) powered New York taxicabs were imported from France (then
the world’s largest producer of automobiles) in 1907, the name “taxicab”
borrowed from London where it had been in used for some time. Fake news soon emerged, reports circulating
in the New York press that the handy new vehicles were named after Franz II von
Taxis of the house of Thurn and Taxis (1514-1543; postmaster for Philip of
Burgundy) and his nephew Johann Baptiste von Taxis (1470-1541; Postmaster-General
of the Holy Roman Empire). Both were
innovative in instituting in Europe (for the first time since the Roman Empire)
fast and reliable postal services and on some routes passengers were also able
to purchase seats so while the Taxis’ did provide taxi services in something
close to the modern sense of the word, they never used the word “taxi” for service
or the vehicles. They did however for centuries
keep the lucrative postal business in family hands.
The
word taxi spread quickly around the world and exists as a borrowing in many
languages but some tongues localized the spelling including Burmese
(takka.ci), Cantonese
(的士 (dik)), Mandarin (的士 (dīshì or díshì), Irish (tacsaí),
Japanese (タクシー (takushī)),
Korean (택시 (taeksi)),
Malay (teksi), Welsh (tacsi), Yiddish (אַקסי (taksi)), Yoruba (takisí & tasín), Asturian (tasi),
Basque (taxilari & taximetro), Catalan (taxista), Czech (taxík), Danish (definite singular taxien, indefinite plural taxier,
definite plural taxierne), Dutch (taxietje (as a diminutive & taxichauffeur (the driver) & Indonesian
(taksi (a colonial descendent from
the Dutch)) although with these, the English taxi often peacefully co-exists.
Hansom
Cabs, New York City, 1900.The Hansom cab was a two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage,
named after its designer, English architect Joseph Hansom (1803–1882), founder of
the architectural journal The Builder
(1843) and noted for his work in the Gothic Revival style and . He patented the
Hansom cab in 1834 and it became instantly popular, being more compact, faster
and more manoeuvrable than the hackney cabs (pulled by Hackney horses) it
replaced and safer too, the centre of gravity considerably lower. What convinced many operators to switch was that
the Hansom cab was light enough to be pulled by a single horse, lowering
operating costs by at least 40% and their small size made accessible many more
parts of London’s tight and congested nineteenth-century streets. Within two years they had spread to the
continent, throughout the British Empire and to the United States and after clockwork
mechanical taximeters (then called taxameters) were in 1894 added to measure
fares, the name became taxicab. To this
day, they’re still sometimes incorrectly called “handsome cabs”.
In
aviation, taxi was a slang use, an allusion to the way a taxi driver slowly
cruises when looking for fares, applied to an airplane “taxiing" slowly
along the tarmac coming from or going to the runway. At some airports, designated parts of the tarmac
are still designated as taxiways, a word which seems not to have been otherwise
adopted although runway is now often used in the fashion industry, the
traditional catwalk seen by some as too gender-loaded. Another adoption which didn’t endure was the
1930s “taxi dancer” (a woman whose services (as a dance partner) were available
for hire at a dance hall).
Checker
taxicab, circa 1974.Immortalized over decades by their appearances in film and
television, for decades the usually yellow (Dupont M6284 yellow was the actual
paint-code) Checker was the taxicab which dominated the US market. They were not retired from service until 1999,
their appearance almost unchanged from the last major styling in 1959 and the
final tranche in taxi service had covered more than a million miles (1.6m km), a reasonable achievement for a life spent mostly in the confines of cities. The company in its modern form emerged just
in time to suffer the effects of the great depression in the early 1930s but it
survived and, although producing vehicles only in small volumes which never exceeded
a few thousand a year, it remained profitable until the 1970s when
the recession and two oil shocks threatened survival, it not being obvious that
the capital could be raised to develop a new, more fuel-efficient generation of
taxis. At the same time, under pressure
from operators, cities were de-regulating the technical requirements for taxis,
meaning the mass-produced mainstream models from the major manufacturers could
be added to fleets. Cheaper to produce
and buy, their adoption was the death knell for Checker and production ceased
in 1982, the company continuing as a part supplier until finally shuttered in 2010
in the wake of the recession which followed the Global Financial Crisis (GFC).
Checker
Marathon advertising, 1960s.
As well
as the taxicab which was for six decades the mainstream line, between
1960-1982, Checker also sold a consumer version as the Marathon, aimed at the
private buyer who was prepared to sacrifice the advantages of more modern designs
for the virtues of the taxi (robustness, timelessness (albeit circa 1955) and interior
space). So dated was the appearance that
Checkers built in the 1970s were often used in film and television even though the
productions were depicting periods from earlier decades and in films set during
the Cold War, they were popular as convincing substitutes the cars of Eastern Bloc apparatchiks. The Marathon was available
as a sedan or station wagon and even a few long-wheelbase limousines were built
although in an age of stylistic exuberance, there was little demand for
something which echoed the stolid lines of the early 1950s.
Most
distinctive however were the six and eight-door Aerobuses aimed at the resort-hotel
and airport shuttle business. Available
(off and on) between 1962-1977 and never built in great numbers, the eight-door
models were the most numerous and both could be ordered as station wagons which
Checker marketed sometimes as the “nine-door”, a European practice which
counted the tailgate. Surprisingly,
despite the startlingly elongated appearance, there were few engineering challenges
in developing and producing the Aerobus, the Marathon’s X-section reinforced
frame was as sturdy as many light trucks and with a body made with heavy gauge
steel, the lengthening process detracted little from structural integrity. The affected central section was unchanged for
its entire life and the anyway hardly expensive costs of development were
amortized long before production ceased in 1977, something induced by a collapse
in demand, not inherent unprofitability.
The Checker Limousine was an interesting venture into a market segment which did exist, even if not generally acknowledged. There had always been those who easily could afford to buy a Cadillac yet instead drove Buicks or Oldsmobiles and their reasons varied. Some eschewed ostentation, some (with conspicuous visibility to customers or clients) preferred to appear just prosperous enough to inspire confidence and others just couldn't see the additional value for the extra cost. Checker thought they might be able to carve a niche in this segment and in 1963, announced what they would come to advertise as the "Custom Limousine" (although the initial publicity material described it as the "Marathon Town Custom"), built on a 129 inch (3277 mm) wheelbase, a 9 inch stretch of the standard platform, all the additional space gained by the rear compartment.
For Checker, it was neither a novel nor an expensive project, the engineering for the six and eight-door Aerobuses (1962-1977), respectively on 154½ inch (3924 mm) & 189 inch (4801 mm) wheelbases proving the robustness of the chassis and, in the tradition of the company, there was no attempt to offer the luxurious interior appointments familiar in most limousines although the quality of the upholstery was better and accessories like power windows were available; perhaps it was thought the divider isolating passengers from the chauffeur and the option of a vinyl roof was distinction enough. There was though the luxury of space and an ease of ingress and egress which increasingly had been sacrificed as Cadillacs, Lincolns and Imperials had become lower. With its flat floor and high roof, that might have been attractive for the older demographic of men who might have been tempted, many of whom presumably still wore hats, something they could leave on when seated, a design aspect last championed by Chrysler in the early 1950s. Essentially, the Checker Limousine was little different in
appearance to the to the GAZ-13 Chaika (Seagull), built in the USSR between
1959-1981 by Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod
(GAZ, Gorky Automobile Plant), almost exclusively for well-connected apparatchiks
in the Communist Party. A pastiche of
early-mid 1950s US styling trends, most consider it owed its greatest debt to the
Packards of the era though whether this was in genuine admiration or a nod to
comrade Stalin’s fondness for the marque isn't known.
The Checker Limousine however never approached the GAZ either in the volume made nor longevity. Priced (perhaps optimistically) low in the range of (non-limousine) Cadillacs, production didn't reach far into two figures and after three lacklustre seasons (1964-1967), the model was withdrawn from the list although Checker probably did amortize the investment, the 129 inch wheelbase platform re-cycled (the limousine's A19E chassis code changed to A12E for the purpose) to create a taxi version with seating for an additional two or three. In Australia, that approach appealed to both Ford and GMH (General Motors Holden) which, in small volumes for the taxi and hire-car industries, offered cheaper, less well appointed, versions of their long-wheelbase executive models (respectively as the Fairlane Custom and the Statesman), an approach which lasted until the mid 1970s.
Long-time New York City taxi customer, Lindsay Lohan.
