cowcatcher

[kou-kach-er]

noun

1. a triangular frame at the front of a locomotive, especially a steam locomotive, designed for clearing the track of obstructions.

cowcatcher

/ ˈkaʊˌkætʃə /

noun

1. a metal frame on the front of a locomotive to clear the track of animals or other obstructions

Word History and Origins

Origin of cowcatcher¹

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; cow ¹ + catcher

Example Sentences

Maybe it’s the colorful psychedelic-painted steam locomotive, where balls that miss the tunnel underneath ricochet off the cowcatcher with a satisfying clang.

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With each new handoff, he lowers his shoulders and steams ahead, face mask jutting out like a cowcatcher, yards piling up all the while.

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A train comes, black and sooty, with a “triangular snout of the cowcatcher” and a single ragged boxcar.

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Though her voice is powerful, and powerfully amplified, it is like a cowcatcher, pushing everything out of its way as it chugs down the tracks.

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The locomotive was black, an ungainly contraption led by the triangular snout of the cowcatcher, though there would be few animals where this engine was headed.

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