railbird

[ reyl-burd ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a horse-racing fan who watches races or workouts from the railing along the track.
2. any kibitzer or self-styled critic or expert.

Word History and Origins

Origin of railbird¹

1890–95, Americanism; rail ¹ + bird in sense “frequenter,” as in jailbird, yardbird

Example Sentences

Perhaps only the most dedicated railbirds knew Leon’s name at post time.

From New York Times

He grew up on a local dairy farm and became a Grants Pass Downs railbird long before he and his late brother, Dane, turned a pushcart coffee stand in town into Dutch Bros.

From New York Times

And a little track in Nebraska that railbirds mostly ignore in normal times is suddenly getting outsize attention.

From New York Times

Aqueduct racetrack near JFK Airport told railbirds to stay home but was still planning to run a full card of horse races Friday afternoon.

From Fox News

In horse racing, a railbird is a regular who hangs on the rail around the track to be close to the action.

From Washington Times