train wreck
n.— «This is the story of the people left behind on the platform when the last train late at night goes out of Grand Central Terminal…They are stranded, and before the self-pity can kick in, a no-nonsense amplified voice announces Grand Central’s closing. “The station will reopen at 5:30 a.m.”…The night clerk at the nearby Hyatt hotel calls them “train wrecks.” The cabdrivers refer to them as “Cinderella fares.” Out on 42nd Street, a mob of cabbies await the luckless souls.» —“At Grand Central, Stuck After 1:30 A.M.” by Andrew Jacobs New York Times June 11, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
David says that when he was growing up in Akron, Ohio, his family referred to the grassy area between the sidewalk and street as the devil strip. He’s since moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he doesn’t hear that term. There are lots...
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