Word of the Day
30 April 2026
metals
nounRail equipment
The rail tracks owned by a company or organisation; a rail network.
Why this one
Pure metonymy: the rail itself stands in for the whole network, sleepers, points and all. The plural survives from an era of iron rails, and it still marks ownership boundaries: whose metals you are on decides whose rules apply.
In use
Once we're past the junction we're on their metals, so you'll be taking their signaller's instructions, not ours.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.Sources
- Definition sourceWiktionary