page_title: Third rail of politics
hierarchical_section_title: Third rail of politics
caption_attribution_description: English: Third rail at the West Falls Church Metro stop in the Washington area, electrified to 750 volts DC. The third rail is at the top of the image, under a white cover. The first and second rails are ordinary railroad rails. They complete the electrical circuit through the trains but are grounded for safety.
context_page_description: The third rail of a nation's politics is a metaphor for any issue so controversial that it is "charged" and "untouchable" to the extent that any politician or public official who dares to broach the subject will invariably suffer politically. The metaphor comes from the high-voltage third rail in some electric railway systems.
  Touching a third rail can result in electrocution, so usage of the metaphor in political situations relates to the risk of "political suicide" that a person would face by raising certain taboo subjects or having points of view that are either censored, shunned or considered highly controversial or offensive to advocate or even mention.
  It is most commonly used in North America. Though commonly attributed to Tip O'Neill, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives during the Reagan presidency, it seems to have been coined by O'Neill aide Kirk O'Donnell in 1982 in reference to Social Security.
context_section_description: The third rail of a nation's politics is a metaphor for any issue so controversial that it is "charged" and "untouchable" to the extent that any politician or public official who dares to broach the subject will invariably suffer politically. The metaphor comes from the high-voltage third rail in some electric railway systems. 
  Touching a third rail can result in electrocution, so usage of the metaphor in political situations relates to the risk of "political suicide" that a person would face by raising certain taboo subjects or having points of view that are either censored, shunned or considered highly controversial or offensive to advocate or even mention.
  It is most commonly used in North America. Though commonly attributed to Tip O'Neill, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives during the Reagan presidency, it seems to have been coined by O'Neill aide Kirk O'Donnell in 1982 in reference to Social Security.
caption: This third rail, used to power trains, would likely result in the death by electrocution of anyone who comes into direct contact with it.
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