third rail

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third rail

n.
1. The rail that supplies the high voltage to power a train on an electric railway.
2. A subject that tends to be avoided because of its offensive or controversial nature: "Social Security, the 'third rail' of American politics" (Charles Stein).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

third rail

n
1. (Railways) an extra rail from which an electric train picks up current by means of a sliding collector to feed power to its motors
2. politics
a. a cause or topic that is considered extremely dangerous for a person to support or comment on
b. (as modifier): a third-rail issue.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

third′ rail′


n.
a rail in an electrified railroad that provides current to a car or locomotive.
[1865–70, Amer.]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.third rail - a rail through which electric current is supplied to an electric locomotive
rails, runway, rail, track - a bar or pair of parallel bars of rolled steel making the railway along which railroad cars or other vehicles can roll
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
strømskinne
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References in periodicals archive
It was powered not by steam but by electricity flowing through a third rail. The world's first electric railway, it made clean, efficient mass transit possible.
A statement issued by Merseyrail yesterday afternoon said: "Train services between Hunts Cross and Liverpool Central are currently suspended due to a cable fault causing the power supply to the third rail to be severely reduced.
With three artistic directors at its helm (Jennine Willett, Tom Pearson and Zach Morris), it means there are multiple sets of eyes and opinions on Third Rail Projects' immersive, sitespecific productions.
The completed Battambang-Pursat route is the third rail line connecting the Kingdom's northeast with the capital to be upgraded.
The group added that refurbished additional carriages will be arriving on to the Wales and Borders network this year as a part of the development of class 769 "tri-mode" trains, which will be able to operate on diesel, overhead and third rail electrified networks.
The group added that refurbished additional carriages will be arriving on to the Wales and Borders network in 2018 as a part of the development of class 769 "tri-mode" trains, which will be able to operate on diesel, overhead and third rail electrified networks.
Watts is right, this is a big deal, and what it's doing is re-energizing that "third rail" which has been powered down somewhat for the past several years by a combination of duplicity on the part of anti-rights politicians who have actively concealed their positions on gun control, and incompetence on the part of Republican leadership in pushing candidates who do not truly respect our right to arms.
M Properties Group brokered the lease for Third Rail Projects with local property owner, 383 Troutman, LLC, for the 5,000 s/f warehouse space.
An alternative means of electrification, however, would be to use the dc third rail system, as has been used successfully in the south for years.
Within these pages two to three years ago, I suggested that the Valley Lines be electrified on the third rail system so that the redundant D stock could be used on them, but to make them diesel powered seems to me to be just as good.
The collision between the train and a sport utility vehicle on a rail crossing in Westchester County peeled the third rail off the tracks.
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