a secret system used in the US before the Civil War for helping thousands of slaves to escape to the free northern states or Canada. The slaves were called ‘passengers’, the people who helped them were ‘conductors’, and the slaves hid in ‘stations’ (safe houses) along the way.
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Meaning of UNDERGROUND RAILROAD in English
Oxford guide to British and American culture English vocabulary. Руководство по британской и американской культуре, Оксфордский английский словарь. 2005