whistle-stop
See also: whistlestop and whistle stop
English
Etymology
Named for the train whistle that is frequently blown before stopping in small towns.
Noun
whistle-stop (plural whistle-stops)
- (idiomatic) A small train station.
- (politics) A brief stop on a campaign tour to make a speech or perform some other type of public electioneering.
Usage notes
- The unhyphenated spelling, whistle stop, is more common in political usage (except when used attributively). Although originally strictly a US term, it is now used in the UK and elsewhere.
Translations
small train station
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Adjective
whistle-stop (not comparable)
- (idiomatic) Extremely brief and hurried.
- We've only got 30 minutes at the stadium, so I'll give you a whistle-stop tour.
Related terms
- whistle-stop cafe
- whistle-stop train tour
Translations
extremely brief
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Verb
whistle-stop (third-person singular simple present whistle-stops, present participle whistle-stopping, simple past and past participle whistle-stopped)
- (politics, intransitive) To make a brief stop on a campaign tour to make a speech or perform some other type of public electioneering.
Anagrams
- postwhistle