puddle jumper

Meaning

A 'puddle jumper' is a casual, slightly humorous term for a small airplane used for short flights, typically between nearby cities or islands. The name playfully implies that the body of water or distance being crossed is as small as a puddle. It can sometimes carry a slight connotation of being bumpy or less comfortable than a large commercial jet.

Examples

• We took a tiny puddle jumper from Tahiti to the neighboring island of Bora Bora.

  We took a tiny puddle jumper from Tahiti to the neighboring island of Bora Bora.

• I'm not a big fan of flying, so boarding that twelve-seater puddle jumper made me pretty nervous.

  I'm not a big fan of flying, so boarding that twelve-seater puddle jumper made me pretty nervous.

• The flight to the mountain resort is just a quick forty-minute hop on a puddle jumper.

  The flight to the mountain resort is just a quick forty-minute hop on a puddle jumper.

• Because it was a puddle jumper, we had to walk out onto the tarmac to board the plane.

  Because it was a puddle jumper, we had to walk out onto the tarmac to board the plane.

• Our luggage didn't fit in the overhead bin of the puddle jumper, so they had to check it at the gate.

  Our luggage didn't fit in the overhead bin of the puddle jumper, so they had to check it at the gate.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We flew on a puddle jumping plane.

  ✓ We flew on a puddle jumper.

  The term 'puddle jumper' is a noun phrase that functions on its own. You do not need to add 'plane' or change it to 'puddle jumping'.

• ✗ I took a puddle jumper from London to New York.

  ✓ I took a puddle jumper from Boston to Nantucket.

  A puddle jumper is only used for very short flights and small planes, never for long-haul transatlantic flights.

Related Expressions

Practice

• To get to the remote island, we had to board a small ___ that only held ten passengers.

  💡 a small airplane for short flights

  Show answer

  puddle jumper

• I'd rather drive for three hours than get on a bumpy ___.

  💡 informal term for a small regional aircraft

  Show answer

  puddle jumper