LIGHTNING ROD • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Lightning rod

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/lˈaɪtnɪŋ rɑd/ Listen

Lightning rod

noun

Someone who is a frequent target of negative reactions and serves to distract attention from another.

A metallic conductor that is attached to a high point and leads to the ground; protects the building from destruction by lightning. Synonym: lightning conductor.

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Etymology of 'Lightning rod'

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"Lightning rod" Quotes from Famous Books

... company's office for that city—and he was accustomed to take business-like account of life risks, and to recognize death as a hard factor to be dealt with. Just now he unconsciously erected a kind of spiritual lightning rod against his future house in the piety of its expected mistress. But he hoped she would not get too religious—not enough so to interfere with the life of gayety which he expected to continue for many a year. ...

— The First Soprano • Mary Hitchcock

... evening and took a drink of water and up Fourth street, and before they got to Seymour's corner they were walking so close together that you couldn't tell which the bustle was on. We have never seen water that had so much magnetism in as this. A pot of it on a house is better than a lightning rod. ...

— Peck's Compendium of Fun • George W. Peck

... again," said he, "the argument that a provocative is a preventive. For us to maintain a great army for the purpose of preventing war thereby would be as sensible as for each of us to be afraid to walk about except with a lightning rod down his back, since men have been struck by lightning. No nation wants to fight us. We have friends throughout ...

— The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol. 1, January 9, 1915 - What Americans Say to Europe • Various

Words linked to "Lightning rod" : person, soul, mortal, someone, individual, conductor, somebody, lightning conductor