Jitney

[sluggo]

Jitney
-a small short bus in the surprisingly rich ilk of share taxis; archaically a nickel/five-cent piece

First seen on trips to the Jersey Shore growing up. I wondered if this is a regionalism belonging in a regional accent quiz, or if it's widely known.

Dictionary.com has more including a reportedly unlikely source Jeton, kind of as a poker chip.

[Bailey]

Hey Sluggo, a great segue from drainchild

Mark appreciating-the-smooth-flow-and-genius-when-I-see-it Bailey

[skinem]

...and to segue back to jitney...

In my life, I've heard this word most frequently in the sawmills and canneries of the Pacific Northwest when referring to forklifts. I haven't seen this use in any of the dictionaries.

[Palewriter]

A great word. Immortalized in the time-capsule lyrics of Cole Porter:

"When folks who used to ride in jitneys,
Find out Vanderbilts and Whitneys,
Lack baby clothes,
Anything goes."

-- PW

[Stargzer]

I rode the Mission Street Jitney in San Francisco back in 1975 during a business trip. It was a van that carried passengers on a route, up and down Mission Street, for a small fee. Not as much fun as the cable car.