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boulevard stop

boulevard stop
 n.— «Starting July 9, the reflex cameras will look for those drivers that don’t come to a full stop at stop signs. The practice, known as making “boulevard stops” at a stop sign or crawling through it without ceasing to move forward. The devices will calculate if the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop and should be fined.» —“First U.S. Automated Stop Sign Cameras To Be Installed In California” by Josephine Roque AHN July 7, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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2 comments
  • Fascinating. I thought everyone called this rolling feint a “California stop.” To me, a “boulevard stop” will always be a red octagonal traffic emblem–what most people simply call a “stop sign.” My parents (one midwestern, one Middle Eastern, both transplanted to Los Angeles) and all my relatives used this term. Then I moved to the Bay Area and never heard it again.

  • Exactly what I found in my digging. There is some evidence that the meaning in this citation does have some usage, but it’s not common.

    A “California stop,” by the way, is also called a “Hollywood stop,” a “St. Louis stop,” and an “Arizona stop.”

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