standard gauge
1
3.5
- noun
- /ˈstændərd ɡeɪdʒ/
- Specialized
:
ancho estándar
- Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina had generally adopted a standard gauge, and throughout the South in 1860, a person could purchase a single ticket that allowed travel by combinations of railroad and steamboat to any major destination.
Examples
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"Standard" gauge isn't ideal for all applications, but the advantages of having a common gauge usually outweigh the disadvantages of a less-than-ideal gauge for any individual line.
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Once China completes their 108,000-mile standard gauge buildout in 2012, I then predict a rapid buildout of Spiderwebs.
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Compare to moving a standard gauge loco or railcar.
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The majority of railroads in the United States use standard gauge for compatibility and efficiency.
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Train systems across Europe primarily rely on standard gauge tracks to connect cities seamlessly.
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Due to its wide adoption, standard gauge facilitates international rail travel between many countries.
Synonyms
63
4.4
A standard measurement of size or thickness used to compare objects
How Wide
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is a straightforward composition of 'standard' (an accepted measure) + 'gauge' (a measurement or size), so 'standard gauge' simply denotes the standard measurement for the rails. This noun-noun compound follows normal compositional patterns and has clear parallels in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Standard gauge comes from the idea of choosing one common measurement for the space between railway rails: standard means the agreed size and gauge is a measuring tool or 'measurement'. So, when different places used the same measurement for the rails, trains could run between regions without changing wheels, and today standard gauge means that exact distance between the two rails.