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Glite Dictionary
whistle-stop

whistle-stop

2 8.2
A short stop at a small place, for example a train stop or a campaign visit
  • noun
  • /ˈhwɪsəlˌstɑp/
translation icon : parada breve
  • During his campaign, the politician made a brief whistle-stop visit to several small towns to connect with voters.
  • whistle-stop tour
  • whistle-stop campaign

And what I want to do tonight may be a little bit ambitious, but I'm hoping to take you on a whistle stop tour thru some of the ideas that have been involved.

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Examples

  • In April 2008, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Pakistan as part of a whistle-stop tour of South Asia.

    Academic text (2009)

  • I met with one of the Bishma Museum curator, Sam Moorhead, and he sort of took me on a whistle stop tour of Roman Cairns.

  • I'd love for you to give us a whistle stop tour of your entire career in a few bullet points.

  • So Teddy Roosevelt took whistle stop tours on a train six weeks in the spring and in the fall.

  • He was kind enough to talk to me when he came to Taiwan as part of a whistle-stop tour of Asia.

    Blog text (31)

  • Harry Truman used the Magellan for his famous whistle-stop campaign during the 1948 election.

    Blog text (4)

  • Bryan was the first candidate to successfully embrace "whistle-stop" campaigning, harnessing the power of a young rail network to reach masses of voters.

    Blog text (4)

  • Campaigns have since brought back the nostalgic whistle-stop style, including President Obama in 2008 when the Illinois senator campaigned on a restored Pullman car.

    Blog text (4)

  • Accordingly, he campaigned the length and breadth of the land, carrying his message into forty-one states and making a score of major addresses as well as hundreds of whistle-stop appearances.

    Blog text (23)

  • The candidate's whistle-stop tour included quick appearances at train stations across the state.

Synonyms

rest stop
vswhistle-stop
  • US
24 1.8

A place beside a road where people stop to rest, use toilets, or buy food

is a brief visit at a small local place rather than a roadside facility
pit stop
vswhistle-stop
14 3.6

A short stop on a trip to rest, stretch, or get fuel

is a brief visit at a small place often for appearances not services
stopover
vswhistle-stop
11 3.2

A short stay between parts of a journey, often during travel

is a very brief visit at a small place rather than a stay
whistle stop
vswhistle-stop
1 7.4

A very small train station where trains pause only when someone signals

is a brief visit at such a small place rather than the station itself

How Long

stop
556 1.0
stopover
11 3.2
whistle-stop
2 8.2
pause
192 1.0

Surface Forms

whistle-stop singular
whistle-stops plural

Etymology

Whistle-stop comes from train travel: at small stations the train would only stop after a quick whistle, a 'signal', so the stop was very 'short'. That's why a whistle-stop tour means a fast trip with quick visits to many places.