Words / B1

HANDBR-ayk/ˈhændbreɪk/

A handbrake is a brake in a car that you pull on to keep the vehicle still (UK; also a parking brake; US emergency brake). The foot brake slows you while moving; gears do not hold the car on a hill by themselves. Drop-off: put the handbrake on in the lay-by; a running engine is not a parked stop.

Meaning

A brake in a car that you pull on to keep the vehicle still (UK; US parking brake).

Examples

• “Put the handbrake on in the lay-by; a running engine is not a parked drop-off.”
• “A driving-lesson handbrake start is still the examiner’s test; rolling back is a fail.”

Good to know

a handbrake (UK). Close: a parking brake. Contrast: a foot brake. Driving / drop-off. Countable. Mix-up: a brake is the system; the handbrake is the parking control.

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