train oil

American

noun

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

train oil British

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of train oil

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

If the beast affected is full grown, administer one English pint of train oil, and smaller doses in proportion to the age.

From Young's Demonstrative Translation of Scientific Secrets by Daniel Young

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023