Entry · Thursday, September 10, 2026
Fiat 500
/FEE-aht FIYV-hun-drid/ n.- 1. An Italian city microcar whose rear quarter, viewed at any angle that is not directly head-on, presents a silhouette of surprising conviction: the roofline curves down into haunches that have no business being that assertive on a vehicle this short.
- 2. colloq. What happens when Turin decides that a car does not need length to have presence. She is, from the B-pillar back, a complete argument.
"She parallel-parked a thiccc Fiat 500 between two sedans on a cobblestone street in Rome, and the sedans both looked like they were trying to give her space. The rear bumper alone has more going on than most hoods."
From Fiat, acronym of Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin, est. 1899) + 500, the engine displacement in cubic centimeters of the original 1957 Nuova 500. The number referred to the engine. It does not describe the bodywork.
Filed by
Filed because the number referred to the engine and the bodywork clearly never got the memo.
Ruling PROVISIONAL
The silhouette does not present conviction. It presents documented curvature. Motion to replace 'haunches' with 'haunches' carried unanimously. The word is the word.
In the margin
The yacht club in Antibes has a parking attendant who refuses Fiat 500s. Not on principle. He simply cannot find them between the other cars.
The rear bumper is noted as having more going on than most hoods. This has not been measured but it has been stated.