engine-driver
Definition
Noun: A person who drives a locomotive, especially a steam or diesel engine on a railway. This term is more common in British English; in American English, the equivalent term is "engineer" or "locomotive engineer."
Usage Examples
- (The person operating the train's engine.)
- (A long-term professional train operator.)
- (A childhood aspiration to drive trains.)
Advanced Usage
- "to be the engine-driver of something": (figurative) to be the main driving force or leader behind a project or initiative.
- She was the engine-driver of the entire marketing campaign. (She was the primary person responsible for its success.)
Variants and Related Words
- Engine (n): a machine that converts energy into mechanical motion, such as in a locomotive.
- The engine of the train roared to life. (The locomotive's power source.)
- Driver (n): a person who operates a vehicle.
- The bus driver waited for passengers. (A person who drives any vehicle.)
- Engineman (n): an older, less common synonym for engine-driver.
- The engineman oiled the moving parts. (The person who maintained and drove the engine.)
Synonyms
- Locomotive engineer: the standard American English term for an engine-driver.
- Train driver: a more general term for anyone who drives a train, regardless of engine type.
- Railroad engineer: another American English synonym.
Related Idioms
- "to drive the engine": to be the person in control of a locomotive or, figuratively, to be in charge of a situation.
- He was happy to let his partner drive the engine on this project. (He let his partner take the lead.)
- "full steam ahead": an idiom meaning to proceed with maximum effort, originally a command to an engine-driver.
- The team decided to go full steam ahead with the new plan. (Proceed with full energy.)