push-pull

push-pull (not comparable)

1. Operated by pushing and pulling.
   • 1946, George Johnston, Skyscrapers in the Mist, page 35:

     I thought he was rather foolish when he selected the revolving door instead of taking the orthodox push-pull door at the side.

   1. (rail transport) Operating with locomotives at both the head and rear of a train, or with a locomotive at one end and a driving position in the vehicle at the opposite end, so that the train can be driven from either end.
      • 2019 October, Rhodri Clark, “TfW seeks PRM derogation for Class 37 sets”, in Modern Railways, page 87:

        The coaches require modifications, including work to ensure they can work in push-pull mode with Class 67 locos.

      • 2022 December 14, Pip Dunn, “Caroline is ready for inspection...”, in RAIL, number 972, page 48:

        That train is Inspection Saloon 975025, better known as Caroline. It's a former Hastings line Class 201 diesel-electric multiple unit (DEMU) buffet car converted to run in push-pull operation, with large windows at both ends to give a great view of the line ahead.

2. Having two electronic devices in opposite phase.

• push-and-pull

• push-pull amplifier

push-pull (plural push-pulls)

1. An alternation or fluctuation between two opposites; a back-and-forth dispute, a tug of war.

   Synonym: push-and-pull

   • 2022 April 22, Rachel Pronger, “‘Silence guarantees nothing will change’: film-makers challenge the anti-abortion movement”, in The Guardian‎:

     In Europe, the debate around abortion access has been regalvanised by the pandemic, and last year Poland passed a near total ban, […] . Elsewhere we’ve seen a swing in the opposite direction, […] . The overall effect of this push-pull is an atmosphere of intense instability as we face up to a new phase in the struggle for reproductive justice.

   • 2022 September 6, Angie Han, “‘Tell Me Lies’ Review: Hulu’s Bad Romance Is Very Good”, in The Hollywood Reporter‎:

     The push-pull puts us more or less in the same shoes as protagonist Lucy (Grace Van Patten), who spends years wriggling on his hook before she’s finally able to cut herself free — and it’s that keen understanding of the psychology driving its central relationship that distinguishes Tell Me Lies from any number of dramas about steamy but doomed romances.

• “push-pull”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.