three-on-the-tree love

three-on-the-tree

Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun US, idiomatic On an automobile (especially those produced from 1939 through the mid-1970s), a three-speed manual transmission whose gearshift lever is mounted on the steering column.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • A slap to my head administered by my father broke me of the habit after he asked "Where are you going tonight" while handing me the keys to his '61 Impala convertible fawn beige, white top, 283 V8, three-on-the-tree transmission, I loved that car.

    "I heard a couple new-sounding tunes on the tubes and they blasted me sky-high..." Ann Althouse 2009

  • Ed misses chrome, big wheels, three-on-the-tree, taillights shaped like tits, the rich and shapely creases in metal bodies, the sheer weight of the things, and those little wing windows, like the ones on the Adventurer.

    Sufficient Grace Darnell Arnoult 2006

  • Ed misses chrome, big wheels, three-on-the-tree, taillights shaped like tits, the rich and shapely creases in metal bodies, the sheer weight of the things, and those little wing windows, like the ones on the Adventurer.

    Sufficient Grace Darnell Arnoult 2006

  • More rust than paint, dry-rotten tires, one missing and three mismatched hubcaps, a gas pedal that sticks and brakes that fail (DOT-3 is my co-pilot), no radio, interior lights, or heat, but with a three-on-the-tree gearshift and an amusing horn, this heart-breaking truck is difficult to give up, or even to give away.

    Jalopnik 2010

  • It also had a three-on-the-tree, which I thought was rather unusual, but I've seen mention of three-on-the-tree transmissions lasting in the X-bodies through 1974.

    CarDomain Blog Dan Strohl 2010

  • Most of you don't have a clue what an HQ is, but if I tell you it had a three-seater vinyl bench seat in the front (that I fitted with wooden-bead seat covers) and three-on-the-tree column gearshift, you'll get the idea.

    The IT Skeptic - Comments 2009

  • That will mean something to only a tiny minority of readers, but if I tell you it had a bench front seat and a three-on-the-tree column shift, you'll get the idea.

    The IT Skeptic - Comments 2009

  • It had a 350 in³ V-8, a three-on-the-tree standard transmission, and when you opened the hood, you could look down on the left side of the engine and see the ground, and you could look on the right side of the engine and see down to the ground, and if you dropped a part, there was a decent chance it would go all the way to the ground.

    Common Sense Political Thought 2009

  • Green short bed with three-on-the-tree and a 360 FE it should be a fun ride once I get it running again.

    45-Caliber Justice Tyler D. 2009

  • (1972 horsepower dropped to 172!) 2V 400, and three-on-the-tree C6 transmission.

    Jalopnik Graverobber 2010

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