deadman
nounEtymology From dead + man. In the sense referring to a safety switch, the notion of an operator who is dead is the figurative archetype representing any incapacitation, absence, or inattention. See also Dead Hand in that regard.
1
Business, Construction, Manufacturing A long object, often a timber or log, buried to serve as an anchor for a wall or for stays.
- The building code requires deadmen for retaining walls.
2
Agriculture, Business, Lifestyle, Manufacturing, Rail transport, Railways, Transport A cutout device that operates in the event that an operator releases the control handles, leaves the operator's seat, or otherwise seems to be no longer present and alert.
Safety equipment
- a deadman device
- [...] a Brown-Boveri deadman's control; [...].1962 April, “Beyond the Channel: Western Germany: The Henschel 4,000 h.p. V320 diesel”, in Modern Railways, page 274:
- Derived terms
- Deadman