Word of the Day: Turnpike
If you have ever driven on a toll road, there is a good chance that you have driven on a turnpike.
In modern terms, a turnpike is a toll road such as an expressway that people have to pay to use.
Often we have to drive through some gate for the toll (fee) to be collected.
In Japan, we can either pay with cash or use the electronic toll collection (ETC) system which collects the fee automatically and is thus much faster.
Drivers only need to slow down to 20 kph and pass through the gate instead of stopping altogether.
I was wondering where the word turnpike comes from so I did a bit of research.
It seems that in days of yore (a long time ago) a turnpike was similar to a modern turnstile like the ones they have in subway stations.
If you want to pass through a turnstile, you have to pay, and then the turnstile will turn to let you through.
In the old days, the ends were pointy or spiked, so if you didn’t pay and tried to pass, you would stab yourself on the pointy ends (pikes).
Eventually, over time, the road itself became a turnpike and not just the gates through which you had to pass.