Spur
Spur turns up in 2 fields: railroad, building. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Spur in railroad
A short dead-end track branching off to serve an industry or to store cars.
Spurs connect customers such as grain elevators, lumber yards and plants to the railroad, and they end at a bumping post rather than reconnecting to another track. Local crews switch them by pulling in, spotting cars and pulling the loads and empties. Most spurs have a derail near the switch to keep cars from rolling out onto the main, and some main line switches into spurs carry an electric lock that the dispatcher must release.
"Spur at the elevator holds twelve, so we'll have to double it, spot the first twelve and come back for the rest."
Spur in building
A short diagonal brace used to reinforce a structural post or frame.
A secondary structural timber or steel member installed at an angle to stiffen a primary post, beam, or rafter. By tying two intersecting members together, it prevents racking and distributes lateral forces, maintaining the rigidity of the overall framework.
"Nail a spur from the king post to the rafter to stop that roof truss from racking."