rust bowl—(U.S.) said of the declining industrial areas, especially of the Middle West:
- His policies are turning our great industrial Midwest and the industrial base of this country into a rust bowl.
rust bucket—(sl.)
1. (U.S.) an old, worn and rusty ship:
- To try to get the jump on the weather, ore carriers will put every rust bucket that floats into the ore trade.
2. (Austral.) a dilapidated rusty old car:
- And because no one wants to buy a rust bucket, it can radically depreciate your car’s resale value.