shunpike

[ shuhn-pahyk ]

/ ˈʃʌnˌpaɪk /

a side road taken instead of a turnpike or expressway to avoid tolls or to travel at a leisurely pace.

to drive on a shunpike.

Origin of shunpike

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; shun + (turn)pike

shun·pik·er, noun

shull, shultz, shulwar, shumen, shun, shunpike, shunt, shunt-wound, shunter, shunting engine, shunto

He wandered about so long and asked so many questions that it was getting dark when he suddenly thought of the shunpike.

The Captain's Toll-Gate |Frank R. Stockton
But since Captain Asher had lived at the toll-gate it was remarked that the shunpike was not used as much as in former times.

The Captain's Toll-Gate |Frank R. Stockton
Hurrying to a livery-stable, he hired a horse and buggy and a lantern, and drove to the shunpike.

The Captain's Toll-Gate |Frank R. Stockton
He did not for a moment think she might return by the shunpike, for that was a rough road, not fit for a bicycle.

The Captain's Toll-Gate |Frank R. Stockton

She seemed to have something on her mind, and presently she proposed to Mr. Morris that he should take the shunpike for a change.

The Captain's Toll-Gate |Frank R. Stockton