as in hot button
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Recent Examples of third rail
For four years, the Biden administration considered trade deals to be off limits, a political third rail.
—
Elizabeth Economy, Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025
All their lives were at risk because if Mr. Lynskey touched the third rail while the rescuers were touching him, they all could be electrocuted.
—Katherine Rosman, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
The bottom line: Republican lawmakers have generally considered ESAs to be a third rail and are extremely resistant to Democratic proposals to eliminate or curtail the 2022 expansion of the program.
—Jeremy Duda, Axios, 21 Jan. 2025
There is another third rail in this equation: Xinjiang.
—Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for third rail
Elizabeth Economy, Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025
All their lives were at risk because if Mr. Lynskey touched the third rail while the rescuers were touching him, they all could be electrocuted.
—Katherine Rosman, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
The bottom line: Republican lawmakers have generally considered ESAs to be a third rail and are extremely resistant to Democratic proposals to eliminate or curtail the 2022 expansion of the program.
—Jeremy Duda, Axios, 21 Jan. 2025
There is another third rail in this equation: Xinjiang.
—Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for third rail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for third rail
Noun
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French media chronology remains a hot button topic as global streamers have shaken up the landscape since their entry into the country.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2025
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After this interview was conducted, Marvel producer Nate Moore threw cold water on that latter hot button topic.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Doug is a ticking time bomb …on several levels, probably.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2025
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That would mean a country suffering from the particular malaise that’s afflicted Japan, Norway, the U.K. and elsewhere: an aging population with a dwindling worker base, essentially an economic ticking time bomb.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Her fluffy, frivolous style works well for Isla, who is a giggly pretty princess most of the time but a powder keg of anger when threatened.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
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That song is a powder keg, a dynamic storehouse of raw, undiluted energy.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The report identified specific flash points, including cross-border water tensions, and said some countries could experience instability, including from straining food and energy systems.—
Somini Sengupta,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2025
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And nearly a third of these counties settled their races by just over a point, meaning real estate woes turned these counties into political flash points.—
Jasmine Cui,
NBC News,
10 Nov. 2024
Articles Related to third rail
Cite this Entry
“Third rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/third%20rail. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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