The Dickie
Hitching a ride in the 1920's
Call it an Indianism or a colonial hangover, in the sub-continent, we continue to employ the word dickie, when referring to the storage space in our cars. It comes from the British word for the American rumble seat that folded into the back of a pre-World War, two-seater car, sometimes also called the mother-in-law seat. Due to the limited legroom, it was often used to cart luggage. While it's perfectly acceptable to use this term in India, try not to scandalise a cab driver outside the country by asking him to open his dickie.
The Boot
The carriage storage space came to be termed as the "boot locker"
The word "boot"(which is commonly used by the English), goes back to 18th century horse-drawn carriages where the coachman sat on a chest, which was used to store, among other things, his boots. This storage space came to be termed as the "boot locker", which soon became the "boot". Back in the day, boots, of course, were a necessity given the deplorable conditions of England's roads—clearly another thing we've inherited from them and refuse to give up.
The Trunk
