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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

railroad en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (US) audio
  • /ˈɹeɪlɹəʊd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈɹeɪlɹoʊd/ (General-American)
  • /ˈɹeɪɹoʊd/ (General-American)

Etymology

From rail + road.

Meanings

  1. (Philippines, US) A permanent track consisting of fixed metal rails to drive trains or similar motorized vehicles on.
    • Many railroads roughly follow the trace of older land or water roads.
  2. (US) The transportation system comprising such tracks and vehicles fitted to travel on the rails, usually with several vehicles connected together in a train.
  3. (US) A single, privately or publicly owned property comprising one or more such tracks and usually associated assets
    • Railroads can only compete fully if their tracks are technically compatible with and linked to each other.
  4. (figuratively) A procedure conducted in haste without due consideration.
    • The lawyers made the procedure a railroad to get the signatures they needed.
    • Gregory Scroggins, a PWA [person with AIDS] in Georgia who was found guilty of assault with intent to commit murder for biting a cop during arrest. It took only three days in October of 1989 to charge, try, convict and sentence Scroggins, who is now serving a 10-year sentence and has been denied bail (and medical treatment) pending appeal. […] Judy Siff of ACT/UP/Atlanta told GCN that Scroggins' case was a "railroad" of unbelievable proportions. 1990 April 28, Jennie McKnight, “Is Saliva A Murder Weapon?”, in Gay Community News, page 6:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
railroads Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

railroad line · railroad apartment · RR · railroad sickness · railroad track · railroad station · granger railroad · railroad stripe · railroad crossing · Railroad City · railroad diagram · way to run a railroad · logging railroad · prorailroad · railroadish · railroad tramp · railroad spike · R.R. · railroad tie · prerailroad · antirailroad · railroad worm · railroad gun · nonrailroad · railroad car · railroad switch · railroad truck · railroad flat · railroad disease · railroadiana · railroad engineer · underground railroad

Descendants

railroad

Synonyms

railway

Translations (1)

nl sneltreinprocedure (unduly hastened procedure)

railroad en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • (US) audio
  • /ˈɹeɪlɹəʊd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈɹeɪlɹoʊd/ (General-American)
  • /ˈɹeɪɹoʊd/ (General-American)

Etymology

From rail + road.

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To transport via railroad.
  2. (intransitive) To operate a railroad.
    • The Thatcherite experiment proved the private sector can railroad as inefficiently as a state monopoly.
  3. (intransitive) To work for a railroad.
    • She used to railroad for the Southern Pacific.
  4. (intransitive) To travel by railroad.
  5. (intransitive) To engage in a hobby pertaining to railroads.
  6. (transitive) To manipulate and hasten a procedure, as of formal approval of a law or resolution.
    • What appears suspect about the Beeching Report is how quickly it was railroaded through, with the answers manufactured before the questions were asked. 2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 52:
    • The majority railroaded the bill through parliament, without the customary expert studies which would delay it till after the elections.
    • Sebastian Riedel lodged a complaint with TPF board, which he says was railroaded by a board member—therefore, Riedel quit. 2021 August 14, Jim Salter, quoting Sebastian Riedel, “The Perl Foundation is fragmenting over Code of Conduct enforcement”, in Ars Technica:
  7. (transitive) To convict of a crime by circumventing due process.
    • Stark reminder of how an innocent man can be railroaded into spending years in jail [title] 2006 November 11, Duncan Campbell, “Stark reminder of how an innocent man can be railroaded into spending years in jail”, in The Guardian:
    • They could only convict him by railroading him on suspect drug-possession charges.
    • "I'm going to the^([sic]) Hague to see Mr Milosevic at his request," he told CBC radio before leaving Canada. "All of us feel he's being railroaded and used as a scapegoat for Nato's attack on Yugoslavia. 2001 July 7, Ian Black, quoting André Tremblay, “Defenders emerge for Milosevic”, in The Guardian:
    • My witnesses were not questioned to my advantage. Physical evidence in my attorney's possession was not presented to the jury. A promised expert witness was not called nor even sought. I knew that I was being railroaded but I was helpless. 1985 August 24, Robert Butler, “Sex More Punished Than Murder”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 7, page 5:
  8. (transitive) To procedurally bully someone into an unfair agreement.
    • Also on Friday, The Daily News published a column by Richard Azzopardi, a senior adviser to the governor, who wrote that Mr. Cuomo had been “railroaded” by Ms. James, a Democrat who is considered a possible candidate for governor next year but who has not said she plans to run. 2021 August 20, Luis Ferré-Sadurní, quoting Richard Azzopardi, “Cuomo Continues to Challenge His Accusers as Moving Trucks Are Loaded”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
    • He was railroaded into signing a non-disclosure agreement at his exit interview.
  9. (qualifier:roleplaying games) To force players to follow the dungeon master's planned plot rather than improvise an alternative story.
  10. (qualifier:upholstery) To run fabric horizontally instead of the usual vertically.
    • If you are upholstering a larger item, such as a sofa, it's a good idea to see if the fabric you are buying can be railroaded. Railroading refers to being able to run the fabric from left to right, rather than the conventional top to bottom. […][W]hen a pattern is railroaded you can turn it on its side and roll it out to the width of the sofa without join lines. 2015, Vicky Grubb, The Beginner's Guide to Upholstery, David & Charles:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
railroaded Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
railroaded Tense=Past lexicographic
railroads Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
railroading Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Deriveds

railroader

Translations (11)

nl versporen (to transport via railroad) · ja 鉄道模型をする (to engage in a hobby pertaining to railroads) · nl er doorjagen (met de knoet) (to manipulate and hasten a procedure) · de peitschen (durch) (to manipulate and hasten a procedure) · nl aan het spoor werken (to work for a railroad) · ja 鉄道を経営する (to operate a railroad) · hu keresztülhajt (to prepare a rapid summary process) · ja 鉄道輸送する (to transport via railroad) · hu vasúton szállít (to transport via railroad) · ja 強引に通過させる (to prepare a rapid summary process) · nl spoorweg(en) uitbaten (to operate a railroad)