Taxi cab is short for taximeter cabriolet.
Literally, this means a vehicle that measures (meter) the tax (taxi-) to be charged for riding in a horse-drawn two-wheeled carriage (cabriolet).
Cabriolets, actually, were named after the Isle of Capri. The French called their carriages "cabriolets" as a way to say, "riding in our carriages is as smooth as the lightness of goats leaping about the rocky Isle of Capri."
I guess even the French had rotten cab rides. The only difference is, they knew how to make their snarkiness sound fancy and divine.
This taxi in Yambol, Bulgaria, has seen better days. But it might still travel as lightly as goats frolicking on some rocky island.
(Photo from Yambol Daily Picture)
Source
Scorpio Tales, Curious Word Origins
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