neutral ground
The median strip or central reservation between lanes of traffic in a divided highwayThe median strip or central reservation between lanes of traffic in a divided highway.
Meaning
2 senses(Louisiana)The median strip or central reservation between lanes of traffic in a divided highway.
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see neutral, ground.
Origin
(Sense 1) Per Chase (1979), probably the first explanation of the term neutral ground is b(Sense 1) Per Chase (1979), probably the first explanation of the term neutral ground is by George Cable in 1884: "The people of New Orleans take pride in Canal street^([sic])... Its two distinct granite paved roadways are each forty feet wide, and the tree-bordered 'neutral ground' measures fifty-four feet across. It was 'neutral' when it divided between the French Quarter [i.e., the Creole section] and the Americans [the Anglo section] at the time when their municipality governments were distinct from each other." The Creole and Anglo sections of the city were historically antagonistic toward one another, making the small space between them a notable, if somewhat jocular, "neutral" space.
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Forms
plural: neutral grounds| Singular | neutral ground |
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| Plural | neutral grounds |
regular