General
panda car
What does panda car mean?
A British neighbourhood patrol car in two-tone livery. Originally Ford Anglias and Minis with contrasting doors; the name outlived the paint job.
"Panda car's been crawling up and down our road all morning."
Origin
1960s Britain. When Unit Beat Policing rolled out, forces painted patrol cars in stark two-tone — black-and-white doors or blue-and-white panels — and the public clocked the resemblance to a panda instantly.
Frequently asked questions
What is a panda car?
It's a UK police patrol car, originally painted two-tone black-and-white (and later blue-and-white).
How do you use panda car in a sentence?
"A panda car pulled up outside the house."
Why is it called a panda car?
The name comes from the black-and-white paint scheme of early British patrol cars, resembling a panda's colouring.
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