railroad
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɹeɪlɹoʊd/
ipa: /ˈɹeɪɹoʊd/
ipa: /ˈɹeɪlɹəʊd/
rhymes: -eɪlɹoʊd
rhymes: -eɪlɹəʊd
Forms: form: railroads
form: railroading
form: railroaded
form: railroaded
Etymology: From rail + road.
Senses: glosses: To transport via railroad.
examples: text: The Thatcherite experiment proved the private sector can railroad as inefficiently as a state monopoly.
glosses: To operate a railroad.
glosses: To work for a railroad.
glosses: To travel by railroad.
glosses: To engage in a hobby pertaining to railroads.
examples: text: The majority railroaded the bill through parliament, without the customary expert studies which would delay it till after the elections.
text: Sebastian Riedel lodged a complaint with TPF board, which he says was railroaded by a board member—therefore, Riedel quit.
ref: 2021 August 14, Jim Salter, quoting Sebastian Riedel, “The Perl Foundation is fragmenting over Code of Conduct enforcement”, in Ars Technica:
text: What appears suspect about the Beeching Report is how quickly it was railroaded through, with the answers manufactured before the questions were asked.
ref: 2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 52:
glosses: To manipulate and hasten a procedure, as of formal approval of a law or resolution.
examples: text: They could only convict him by railroading him on suspect drug-possession charges.
text: 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.
ref: 1985 August 24, Robert Butler, “Sex More Punished Than Murder”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 7, page 5:
text: "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.
ref: 2001 July 7, Ian Black, quoting André Tremblay, “Defenders emerge for Milosevic”, in The Guardian:
text: Stark reminder of how an innocent man can be railroaded into spending years in jail [title]
ref: 2006 November 11, Duncan Campbell, “Stark reminder of how an innocent man can be railroaded into spending years in jail”, in The Guardian:
glosses: To convict of a crime by circumventing due process.
examples: text: He was railroaded into signing a non-disclosure agreement at his exit interview.
text: 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.
ref: 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:
glosses: To procedurally bully someone into an unfair agreement.
qualifier: roleplaying games
glosses: To force players to follow the dungeon master's planned plot rather than improvise an alternative story.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 2015, Vicky Grubb, The Beginner's Guide to Upholstery, David & Charles:
qualifier: upholstery
glosses: To run fabric horizontally instead of the usual vertically.
Derived terms: railroader