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Black Maria

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Black Maria

a police van for transporting prisoners. The origins of the term remain uncertain. Most favoured is that it is named after a tough coloured boarding-house proprietrix, another after a racehorse of the time.
Collins Dictionary of Law © W.J. Stewart, 2006
References in periodicals archive
The first page of the second portion of the book, titled "black maria" offers a useful Merriam-Webster definition.
The design of the Black Maria and its proximity to the lab enabled Edison and his teams to go to the studio, physically test equipment, alter their hypotheses, and refine their questions about capturing motion on film.
A Black Maria burst over us, followed by shrapnel, which burst over our heads and struck me on top, leaving a bad hole.
Two others dragged Chrissie to a waiting Black Maria.
"Of course gambling was illegal in those days and sometimes I'd come home from school to learn that she'd been whisked off in a Black Maria and cautioned at the local police station!"
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art's monthly Schnitzer Cinema brings back the Black Maria Film and Video Festival at 7 p.m.
Spot escaped as did "Franny" Daniels - by clinging to the underside of a Black Maria, which he left when he got to the station.
Even better, look up people who have registered vehicles and who haven't renewed their registrations and then pay 'em a house visit with a Black Maria in tow.
The World Wide Words site on the internet says the first reference to a Black Maria vehicle in Boston was in 1847, some years after the lady''s fame.
Even more off-putting is the title: The Journey, which sounds like he's on some dreadful American evangelist seven-step programme towards Jesus, when most people believe he should be in a Black Maria en route to a war crimes tribunal.
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