[RugnirViking]

what makes an inoperable ashtray? full? holes in the bottom?

I suppose the idea makes sense but the wording is amusing - I think of ashtrays as a static object, I can't imagine myself "operating" an ashtray

[r3trohack3r]

They are typically a V shaped receptacle that is flush with the wall and flips out.

The hinge jamming or becoming detached would make it inoperable.