The TT — short for the Tourist Trophy — is a famous motorcycle race held every year on the Isle of Man, a small island between England and Ireland. It has run since 1907, which makes it one of the oldest motor races in the world. What makes it unusual is that it is not run on a race track. The riders race on ordinary public roads, closed for the event, past houses, stone walls and lamp posts, at speeds over 300 kilometres an hour. It is widely called the most dangerous race in the world, and more than 260 riders have died there. People who love it talk about it with real reverence; people who don't think it should be stopped. Notice the 'the' — in English you say 'the TT', 'he's racing in the TT', not just 'TT'. It is always said as two letters, 'tee-tee'. The name 'Tourist Trophy' is a leftover from the early days, when the machines were supposed to be touring bikes an ordinary person might own. Nothing about them is ordinary now. Fair warning: these two letters stand for many other things in English (a car model, a medical test, a bank transfer), so the meaning always comes from what is around it.