train oil

American  

noun

1. oil obtained from the blubber of whales or from seals, walruses, or other marine animals.

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train oil British  

noun

1. oil obtained from the blubber of various marine animals, esp the whale

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Etymology

Origin of train oil

1545–55; earlier trane < Dutch traan train oil, tear; cognate with German Träne tear

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

train oil

So I’m curious, since you have drilling experience: Do you think it’s easier to train oil drillers to be astronauts or to train astronauts to be drillers?

From The Verge ● Dec. 7, 2021

So, he took his winnings and formed a company to train oil and gas professionals in various aspects of the trade.

From Forbes ● Aug. 1, 2011

“That will help to keep life in us; though train oil was never much to my fancy.”

From The South Sea Whaler by William H. C. Groome

Snails.—To prevent snails crawling up walls or fruit trees daub the ground with a thick paste of soot and train oil.

From Gardening for the Million by Alfred Pink

The eider's flesh has, it is true, but a slight flavour of train oil, but it is coarse and far inferior to that of Brünnich's guillemot.

From The Voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe, Volume I and Volume II by Alexander Leslie