Definition of "watering-trough" [watering-trough]

• In railroading, a portion of a railroad track fitted with a very long, shallow iron trough placed on the ties between the rails. (noun)
• A trough in which water is provided for domestic animals. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "He held them now, Bob and Mab, and in the shadow of the watering-trough Wolf lay and looked on."
• "He stood balanced on a watering-trough outside the church."
• "Instead of the single long watering-trough which usually distinguishes the front of the English public-house of the second class, there were three conveniences of that kind, for the use, as the landlord used to say, of the troop-horses when the soldiers came to search his house; while a knowing leer and a nod let you understand what species of troops he was thinking of."