mudflap

mud +‎ flap

mudflap (plural mudflaps)

1. A rectangular flap mounted near the wheel of a motor vehicle (especially a truck) to prevent mud or rocks from being thrown up (by the wheel), either onto the body panels or into the path of vehicles following behind.
   • 2007 February 1, Cathy Horyn, “The Good, the Bad, the Amusing”, in New York Times‎:

     Yohji Yamamoto showed Alpine knits with cropped black trousers, fresh-looking coats in vanilla-colored wool, and knits and other wool colors embellished with the sort of female pinup images you see on old gas-station calendars or on the mudflaps of an 18-wheeler.

• mudflap girl