Word of the Day
20 February 2026
hole
A passing loop; a siding provided for trains traveling in opposite directions on a single-track line to pass each other.
Why this one
Railroaders say a train is in the hole when it is tucked into the siding waiting, and the image fits single track exactly: you get out of the way or nobody moves. The dispatcher decides who takes it.
In use
Dispatcher's got us in the hole at the north end till that coal train clears, so figure another forty minutes sitting here.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.