put the bottom rail on top
To reverse a hierarchy.
“The nigger Professor” they called me, “with a plan to educate the blacks and to put them above the whites”; “to put the bottom rail on top”; “to subvert Anglo‐Saxon civilization.”
rail
/ɹeɪ(ə)l/
noun 8verb 8
Collocations
31(noun.) bar
ADJ
guard, safety
curtain, picture, towel
She hung the wet towel on the rail to dry after her shower.
altar, balcony, banister
VERB + RAIL
grip, hold on to, lean on
As the train started moving, he gripped the rail to steady himself.
hang from
The wet towels were hanging from the shower rail after our bath.
fit, fix
PREP
on a/the ~
The old wooden fence had a loose rail that the children hung on while waiting for the bus.
over a/the ~
She hung her wet clothes over the rail to dry them overnight.
rails
VERB + RAIL
run along/on ~
The train runs on rails that stretch across the country.
PREP
along (the) ~s
The old steam engine chugged slowly along the rails toward the mountain station.
between the ~
Passengers dropped coins between the rails while waiting for the train to arrive.
off the ~s
My brother's life went completely off the rails after he dropped out of university.
on (the) ~s
The new subway train glided smoothly on the rails toward the city center.
(noun.) railway system
RAIL + NOUN
fare, ticket
network
The rail network in our city has improved significantly over the last five years.
route | timetable | service
connection, line, link
The new rail connection between the two cities has made commuting much easier for thousands of people.
journey | commuter, passenger, traveller, user | transport, travel | traffic | freight | bridge | accident, crash, disaster | employee, staff, worker | union | enthusiast
PREP
by ~
My grandparents prefer traveling by rail because they enjoy watching the countryside pass by.
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