third rail

[ thurd-reyl ]

/ ˈθɜrd ˈreɪl /

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See synonyms for third rail on Thesaurus.com

noun

Railroads.

a rail laid parallel and adjacent to the running rails of an electrified railroad to provide electric current to the motors of a car or locomotive through contact shoes.
an additional running rail laid on the same ties as the two regular rails of a railroad track to provide a multigauge capability.

a controversial topic or issue in the public sphere that people, especially politicians, try to avoid discussing (often used attributively): a third-rail subject;Doping is the third rail of the Olympics.Social Security is the third rail of American politics.

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Origin of third rail

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Words nearby third rail

third-party software, third person, third position, third quantum number, third quartile, third rail, third-rate, third reading, Third Reich, Third Republic, third sector

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use third rail in a sentence

That is to say, exactly the type of person to grasp this particular third rail.
Has the fountain of youth been in our blood all along?|Kat McGowan|September 28, 2021|Popular-Science
Some of the other controversial solutions you touch on in the book, such as geoengineering and nuclear power, are third rail topics in the environmental sphere.
"You Need to Use Hope like a Club to Beat Your Opponent." Kim Stanley Robinson on Climate Change and Fiction|Aryn Baker|September 8, 2021|Time
Cars floated in the streets, one third rail caught fire within a subway station, water poured into apartments.
At Least 14 Dead After Storm Ida Flooded New York And New Jersey|Brooklyn White|September 2, 2021|Essence.com
The third suspect, an 18-year-old named Hamyd Mourad, who turned himself in, is part of the same extended family.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Officials have said the war to reclaim upward of a third of Iraq and a quarter of Syria from ISIS could take years.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Third parties in turn quibbled with his accounts, and he was irritated, but not overly so.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The third problem is the evidence of corroborating witnesses.
Buckingham Palace Disputes Sex Allegations Against Prince ‘Randy Andy’|Tom Sykes|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Murders are slightly down from 414 last year, but have fallen by about one—third since 2003.
America’s 2014 Murder Capital|Brandy Zadrozny|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But the Mexican caballeros had no notion of coming up to the scratch a third time.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
A gentleman got out of a carriage before it stopped, and fell between the rail and the platform.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
The first rail road opened in Brazil, the emperor and empress being present at the inauguration.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
This was somewhat tiresome; and, after a rather feeble attempt at a third laugh, Davy said, "I don't feel like it any more."
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
It occurred to him then, for the first time, that a third resource was open—he might cut the rope, and let the kite go free!
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for third rail

third rail

noun

an extra rail from which an electric train picks up current by means of a sliding collector to feed power to its motors

US politics

a cause or topic that is considered extremely dangerous for a person to support or comment on
(as modifier)a third-rail issue

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with third rail

third rail

Something that is dangerous to tamper with, as in Anything concerning veterans is a political third rail. This term alludes to the rail that supplies the high voltage powering an electric train, so called since 1918. On the other hand, grab hold of the third rail means “become energized.” Both shifts from the original meaning date from the late 1900s.

third rail

Origin of third rail

Words nearby third rail

Words related to third rail

How to use third rail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for third rail

Other Idioms and Phrases with third rail