off the rails

Variant of rail

rail definition

rail (rāl)

noun

  1. a bar of wood, metal, etc. placed horizontally between upright posts to serve as a barrier or support
  2. a fence or railing; specif., the fence surrounding the infield of a racetrack
  3. any of a series of parallel metal bars laid upon crossties or in the ground to make a track for railroad cars, streetcars, etc.
  4. a railroad or railway as a means of transportation to travel by rail
  5. a horizontal piece of wood separating the panels in doors or wainscoting
  6. the rim of a billiard table
  7. Naut. a narrow, wooden or metal piece forming the top of a ship's bulwarks

Etymology: ME raile < OFr reille < L regula, rule

transitive verb

to supply with rails or a railing; fence

adjective

of or pertaining to a railway or railroad
rail Idioms

(go) off the rails

  1. (to go) off the proper course
  2. (to become) insane

ride on a rail

☆
to place on a rail and carry out of the community: extralegal punishment in which the victim was usually tarred and feathered beforehand

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.