railbird

[reyl-burd]

noun

Informal.

1. a horse-racing fan who watches races or workouts from the railing along the track.

2. any kibitzer or self-styled critic or expert.

Word History and Origins

Origin of railbird¹

1890–95, rail ¹ + bird in sense “frequenter,” as in jailbird, yardbird

Example Sentences

Perhaps only the most dedicated railbirds knew Leon’s name at post time.

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He grew up on a local dairy farm and became a Grants Pass Downs railbird long before he and his late brother, Dane, turned a pushcart coffee stand in town into Dutch Bros.

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And a little track in Nebraska that railbirds mostly ignore in normal times is suddenly getting outsize attention.

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Aqueduct racetrack near JFK Airport told railbirds to stay home but was still planning to run a full card of horse races Friday afternoon.

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In horse racing, a railbird is a regular who hangs on the rail around the track to be close to the action.

Read more on Washington Times