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third rail

[ thurd reyl ]
/ ˈθɜrd ˈreɪl /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR third rail ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Railroads.
  1. 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.
  2. 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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RELATED WORDS

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Nearby words

  1. third peroneal muscle,
  2. third person,
  3. third position,
  4. third quantum number,
  5. third quartile,
  6. third reading,
  7. third reich,
  8. third republic,
  9. third sector,
  10. third space

Origin of third rail

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for third rail

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
  1. a cause or topic that is considered extremely dangerous for a person to support or comment on
  2. (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

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.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.