lightning rod en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Meanings
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A metallic conductor that is attached to a high point of a building and leads to the ground to protect the building from damage by lightning.
"My special business is to travel the country for orders for lightning-rods. This is my specimen rod;" tapping his staff; "I have the best of references"-fumbling in his pockets. "In Criggan last month, I put up three-and-twenty rods on only five buildings."
1856, Herman Melville, The Lightning Rod Man:
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(figuratively) A person or thing that is a target for negative reactions and distracts criticism from another target.
Though hardly a novel claim nowadays[…] it made [Jean] Twenge a lightning rod in the research world, where some academics remain skeptical of the panic over smartphones.
2025 September 6, Catherine Pearson, “She Started the Debate About Kids and Phones. Now She Wants to End It.”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:Another factor was that when the two governments changed Stormont’s rules in 2006 they left the dual premiership as the “lightning rod for other difficulties”, said [Brendan] O’Leary.
2023 October 13, Rory Carroll, “‘The hope we had is gone’: how 20 months of stasis has paralysed Northern Ireland”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| lightning-rod | alternative | lexicographic | |
| lightning rods | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
Translations (70)
sh gromosvod (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ar مَانِعَة صَوَاعِق (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · hi तड़ित चालक (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · cs hromosvod (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · no lynavleder (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · sh munjobran (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · fi ukkosenjohdatin (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ru козёл отпуще́ния (metaphorically: person or thing that distracts criticism from another target) · nl donderroede (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ca parallamps (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · sk bleskozvod (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · el κεραυνός (metaphorically: person or thing that distracts criticism from another target) · ru молниеотво́д (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · th สายล่อฟ้า (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · cs bleskosvod (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ro paratrăsnet (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ms konduktor kilat (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ba йәшен ҡайтарғыс (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · sh grȍmobrān (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · izh gromootvoda (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · sk hromozvod (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · hu villámhárító (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · nl bliksemafleider (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ka მეხთამრიდი (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · uk блискавковідві́д (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · gl pararraios (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · it parafulmine (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · crh yaşınçeker (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · sk hromozvod (metaphorically: person or thing that distracts criticism from another target) · tr paratoner (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · sh громосвод (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ja 避雷針 (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · az ildırım ötürücü (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ru громоотво́д (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · sl strelovod (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · az ildırımötürən (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · sh муњобран (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · pt para-raios (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · bg гръмоотвод (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · uk блискави́чник (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ka მეხამრიდი (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · es pararrayos (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · el αλεξικέραυνο (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · tl pararayos (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ko 피뢰침 (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ta இடிதாங்கி (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · et piksevarras (metaphorically: person or thing that distracts criticism from another target) · sv åskledare (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · mk громобран (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · sh гро̏мобра̄н (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · et piksevarras (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · hy շանթարգել (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · eo fulmoŝirmilo (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · bg гръмоотвод (metaphorically: person or thing that distracts criticism from another target) · ka მეხსარიდი (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · pl piorunochron (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · fi ukkosenjohdatin (metaphorically: person or thing that distracts criticism from another target) · vi cột thu lôi (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · tl kayag-kidlat (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · cs hromosvod (metaphorically: person or thing that distracts criticism from another target) · ru стре́лочник (metaphorically: person or thing that distracts criticism from another target) · nn lynavleiar (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · id penangkal petir (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · ga conduchtaire tintrí (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · tr yıldırımsavar (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · cmn 颱風尾 /台风尾 (metaphorically: person or thing that distracts criticism from another target) · fr paratonnerre (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · uk громовідвід (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · de Blitzableiter (metallic conductor that protects from lightning) · es pararrayo (metallic conductor that protects from lightning)