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English
Alternative forms
Noun
gapers' block (plural gapers' blocks)
- (chiefly US and Canada, idiomatic) A traffic jam resulting from motorists slowing to look at a motor vehicle collision or other roadside distraction.
1967 March 10, “Above It All”, in Time:In the lingo of the traffic reporters, "gapers' block" is a tie-up caused by motorists slowing down to gape at an accident.
- 2001, "Rocky Road Rocky Mountain National Park boasts as ear-popping drive full of peak experiences," Wichita Eagle (Kansas), 25 Mar., p. 1G:
- In the pretty, tranquil valley, elk were feeding just off the highway, creating a gapers block.
Usage notes
- This term is especially common in the Chicago vicinity.
Synonyms
Translations
traffic jam resulting from motorists slowing to look at a motor vehicle collision or other roadside distraction
See also