railbird

English

Etymology

From rail +‎ bird.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Noun

railbird (plural railbirds)

1. A rail or similar bird
2. (US, slang) A gambler; originally specifically a horseracing enthusiast
   • 2007 October 6, Charles Mcgrath, “The Happy Hustler”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     He earned it one night at Chelsea Billiards in New York, where he knocked off Eddie Hubler, a.k.a. Kid Vicious, winning $4,200 from railbirds who were certain that the fat kid from Jersey had no game.