rode on a rail

A form of ride on a rail — To be subjected to a punishment most prevalent in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries in which an offender was made to straddle a fence rail held on the shoulders of two or more bearers. The victim was then paraded around town or taken to the city limits and dumped by the roadside.

Meanings

verb
  1. pastsimple past of ride on a rail
Cite this entry
APA

rode on a rail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rode%20on%20a%20rail

MLA

“rode on a rail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rode%20on%20a%20rail. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rode on a rail,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rode%20on%20a%20rail.

Source: rode on a rail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.