sawdust trail

American  

noun

1. the road to conversion or rehabilitation, as for a sinner or criminal.

2. Also called sawdust circuit.  the itinerary of revival meetings.

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Etymology

Origin of sawdust trail

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; so called from the sawdust-covered aisles in the temporary constructions put up for revival meetings

Example Sentences

Rather than arriving at faith along the sawdust trail of American evangelicalism, Buechner came via Princeton University and, eventually, Union Theological Seminary.

From Washington Post • Aug. 22, 2022

Graham took his fellow evangelicals from the margins to the center — from the sawdust trail to the White House.

From Washington Post • Feb. 21, 2018

Prime Minister Shidehara and the Tokyo press called on other nations to follow Japan down the sawdust trail.

From Time Magazine Archive

The night* he walked the sawdust trail, Graham remembers, others were weeping, and since he was not, he wondered whether his commitment was genuine.

From Time Magazine Archive

In spite of the thousands who have hit the sawdust trail, however, it is difficult to believe that more than a tiny proportion of his auditors are religiously affected by him.

From The Invisible Censor by Hackett, Francis