fender bender
A small car accident in which minimal damage is incurred. Michelle was a new driver so she was extremely upset when she had her first accident. Luckily, it was a fender bender and there was no real damage to either car involved. Can you believe this nonsense? They're trying to charge us double on our insurance just because of that fender bender we had last month! Your car slid on an icy hill and only caused a fender bender? Wow, you got lucky.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
fender bender
Fig. a minor car accident. A small fender bender tied up traffic on the expressway for hours!
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
fender-bender
1. n. a minor accident. (see also
rear-ender.)
There are a couple of fender-benders on the expressway this morning, so be careful. 2. n. a reckless driver (who causes minor accidents). I can’t get insurance on my seventeen-year-old, who is a hopeless fender-bender.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
fender bender
A minor collision of automobiles, resulting in minimal damage. Dating from the mid-1900s, the term owes its long life to its rhyme. For example, “I hope my insurance company isn’t going to charge me for that little fender bender; I barely scratched the other car and no one was hurt.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer