ETYMOLOGY- word : Stepney
*Why do we call the spare tyre “Stepney” that we carry in our car?
Although this word is quite common in India, hardly anyone uses it in Britain now. The Americans, of course, have never used it. The word is not included in most dictionaries. What we call a Stepney, native speakers of English refer to as a spare.
Then where did the word Stepney come from?
Well, actually the word Stepney is the name of a street in Wales. A mechanic in the street of Stepney in the town of Llanelly was the first to provide the ready-to-use spare wheels. And the product, namely the spare wheels, began to be referred to by the name of the street where they were produced.
-Srirangam Ramesh