caboose

1. (obsolete, nautical) A small galley or cookhouse on the deck of a small vessel.obsolete

2. (historical, nautical) A small sand-filled container used as an oven on board ship.Examples: "On the second day out, while sailing moderately on our course in the Gulf Stream, a sudden squall of wind struck the ship from the SW. and knocked her completely on her beam-ends, stove one of our boats, entirely destroyed two others, and threw down the cambouse."; "This stove is to be made in the form of a Franklin, but is to be furnished with an oven, and other means of cooking; its appearance is therefore more like that of the old fashioned caboose, than of a Franklin stove."; "A tremendous billow, fringed with foam, swept over our deck, carrying the cook's caboose, cooking utensils and stove right overboard into the sea."historical

3. (US, rail transport) The last car on a freight train, consisting of cooking and sleeping facilities for the crew; a guard’s van.Synonyms: guard's vanUS

4. (slang, childish, euphemistic) The buttocks.Examples: "That's a pretty big caboose for a baby."childisheuphemisticslang

5. (slang, sports) The person or team in last place.slang

6. (informal, often in combination) A youngest child who is born after a long gap in time.Examples: "Jimmy was seven and had just finished first grade, so that made Nancy our caboose baby — our bonus child — our swan song."; ""Caboose" children, the late-born last offspring in the family, didn't suffer from this as much."; "After looking back on her own experience, she thought of some ways parents could help ease the transition for their caboose kid."in-compoundsinformaloften