Train Sniffer

(noun, derogatory slang) -- A person who becomes intensely invested in an unusually niche, obscure, or socially insignificant hobby and treats their expertise as a point of major personal pride. The term is not limited to model trains; rather, it refers broadly to individuals who dedicate disproportionate amounts of time, energy, and identity to highly specialized interests that most people neither understand nor care about. Common traits include encyclopedic knowledge of trivial details, an eagerness to discuss the subject at length regardless of audience interest, and a tendency to overestimate the real-world importance of their hobby or accomplishments within it.

Yeah, cool, we get that you are good at geoguessr, you train sniffer. Now tell me a game you are actually good at.

Jeff was telling me all about his audio setup yesterday....didn't know he was such a train sniffer.

Train Sniffer by Egadsvessel May 30, 2026

Tail Pipe Sniffer 

A chronic tail gater.

I hate riding with him, he's a tail pipe sniffer.

Tail Pipe Sniffer by rougeprocess December 12, 2010