dead man’s switch
n.— «On the subway and elevated lines it is found in the nearest doorman and a “dead man’s switch.”» —“Precautions of Railroads to Prevent Death at the Throttle” in New York Washington Post Magazine Jan. 19, 1908. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Have you ever googled your own name and found someone else who goes by the very same moniker? There’s a word for that: googleganger. Plus, the language of hobbyists and enthusiasts: If you’re a beekeeper, perhaps you call yourself a...
In an article in The Atlantic magazine, humorist Mark Twain quoted a sing-songy bit of doggerel about conductors punching railroad fares that illustrates how colored paper has long been used to encode information. This is part of a complete episode...