way to run a railroad

English

Etymology

From the demanding nature of running a railroad before telecommunications.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

way to run a railroad

1. (US) Method of managing a complex operation.

   This is no way to run a railroad.

   This is a hell of a way to run a railroad.

   Is this any way to run a railroad?

See also

• couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery

References

• 1977, Alfred D. Chandler, The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business