tengdamömmubox

tengdamömmubox

Icelandic

Etymology

From tengdamamma (“mother-in-law”) +‎ box (“box”), the joke being that one could store one's own mother-in-law in the car's rooftop cargo carrier during family trips, thus being able to fit the entire family in the car with the added benefit of not having to deal with a nagging mother-in-law. First seen in print in 2001.[1]

Noun

tengdamömmubox n (genitive singular tengdamömmubox, nominative plural tengdamömmubox)

1. a car rooftop cargo carrier, a car top carrier

   Synonym: farangursbox

Usage notes

While this word was originally a joke, it placed itself firmly in the language and is today usually used as a general word, one that neither has any jokeful connotations nor indicates negativity towards mothers-in-laws. In formal contexts, "farangursbox" is preferred.

Declension

declension of tengdamömmubox

n-s	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	tengdamömmubox	tengdamömmuboxið	tengdamömmubox	tengdamömmuboxin
accusative	tengdamömmubox	tengdamömmuboxið	tengdamömmubox	tengdamömmuboxin
dative	tengdamömmuboxi	tengdamömmuboxinu	tengdamömmuboxum	tengdamömmuboxunum
genitive	tengdamömmubox	tengdamömmuboxins	tengdamömmuboxa	tengdamömmuboxanna

References

1. Guðrún Kvaran (2020). Af hverju eru farangursbox ofan á bílum kölluð tengdamömmubox? Vísindavefurinn.