as in hot button
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Recent Examples of third rail
Goalie interference is the third rail of the NHL, the most gray area the league has to judge — just look at the end of the second period, when Anders Lee’s goal was upheld on a Columbus challenge after some jostling with Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins.
—
Arthur Staple, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
There are billions of dollars in potential savings from MA changes, but the program is a political third rail given the influence of insurers and the perils of igniting attacks about cutting Medicare.
—Peter Sullivan, Axios, 20 Mar. 2025
Reducing tangible benefits — beyond mere waste and fraud — risks touching a political third rail.
—Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
The threat of severe cutbacks amid those entitlements, long considered a third rail in U.S. politics, has angered some Trump allies.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for third rail
Arthur Staple, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
There are billions of dollars in potential savings from MA changes, but the program is a political third rail given the influence of insurers and the perils of igniting attacks about cutting Medicare.
—Peter Sullivan, Axios, 20 Mar. 2025
Reducing tangible benefits — beyond mere waste and fraud — risks touching a political third rail.
—Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
The threat of severe cutbacks amid those entitlements, long considered a third rail in U.S. politics, has angered some Trump allies.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for third rail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for third rail
Noun
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Several hot button political issues are likely to drive the debate over spending as the spring legislative session goes on.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2025
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The region has been a hot button political issue in both countries.—
Evan Clark,
WWD,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Le Carré is not writing of ticking time bombs or plots to overthrow democracy, but of minor skirmishes behind the lines.—
Rav Grewal-Kök
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
-
There is a ticking time bomb hanging over the economy this year, because Trump’s first-term tax cuts are going to expire at year-end.—
Kelly Evans,
CNBC,
6 June 2025
Noun
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The rift between Carlson and Cruz demonstrates that even among President Trump’s biggest supporters, there’s been considerable debate about how the U.S. should deal with the powder keg situation that escalated Friday when Israel launched airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear and military facilities.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
18 June 2025
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But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 June 2025
Noun
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That game, which began with three fights in the first minute, was a cultural flash point for hockey and brought significantly more interest in the tournament than expected.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
16 June 2025
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While the impact of a costlier iPhone likely wouldn't mean much from a larger economic perspective, the saber-rattling underscores the volatility of trade policy and provides another flash point for a market already unnerved by worries about fiscal policy that have sent bond yields sharply higher.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Third rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/third%20rail. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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