bunnahabhain
Established Member
- Joined
- 8 Jun 2005
- Messages
- 2,070
'Alight' is an Old English word with an etymology stretching back over a thousand years, it most certainly is not railway jargon but is perhaps the most correct way to describe a person exiting from a railway vehicle. I use the word as part of my parlance every day.That's another bit of rail jargon that annoys me. 'Alight' in normal English (especially to a foreigner) means if anything something to do with flames and burning. The word is never used in ordinary speech to mean 'get off', 'leave' either of which would be preferable. (The phrase 'when exiting the station' is perhaps less ambiguous but nevertheless annoying: why not say 'leaving'?)