Horseracing Idioms in Politics

Horseracing Idioms in Politics Horseracing Idioms in Politics Horseracing Idioms in Politics By Maeve Maddox A reader asks about my use of the verb place in a recent post: In your The Oxford Short List 2015 article the second paragraph reads In this post, I’ll take a look at eight other words that placed in Oxford’s annual list of frequently used English words and phrases.† Is that construction correct, or wouldnt the verb tense were be missing between that placed? The reader is thinking of place as a transitive verb meaning â€Å"to put† or â€Å"to set,† as in this example of passive voice: â€Å"The books were placed carefully on the shelf.† I was using place with the following meaning: place intransitive verb: to achieve a particular final position in a race or other competition. In British horseracing, â€Å"to place† means to finish a race in any of the first three (occasionally four) positions, especially other than first.† In North American usage, â€Å"to place† is to finish second. Here’s an example of this figurative usage from the 2000 presidential race: They were playing to win; they werent playing to place, Gore spokesman Chris Lehane said. This is not win, place and show. This is winner and loser. Horseracing idioms are especially popular in political campaigning. Here are some more examples, with explanations: After a strong performance in this week’s Democratic presidential debate, Hillary Clinton has reclaimed some of the ground she’d lost to Senator Bernie Sanders over the summer, leaving the two in a statistical dead heat in New Hampshire Dead heat noun: Two or more horses finishing in an exact tie at the wire. Time to prune the Republican presidential field to the top six Field noun: The horses entered in a race. The Republican Front Runner is a Huge Fan of Michael Moore Front runner noun: A horse that usually leads (or tries to lead) the field for as far as it can. Mayoral race in home stretch Homestretch noun: The part of a racetrack between the last turn and the finish line Mikva wins by a nose in 10th District Nose  noun: The smallest advantage a horse can win by. In England, the term is â€Å"a short head.†Ã‚   Two more scratched from 28th ward race Scratch verb: to be taken out of a race. Whichever candidate proves the better stretch runner, the barrage from the other side will continue through until Election Day.    Stretch runner noun: a horse that picks up speed late in a race and finishes fast. Silvestros tout Trump from their rooftop Tout noun: a person who gives tips on racehorses, usually with expectation of some personal reward in return. Tout verb: to praise particular horses and to predict winners. The verb has become especially popular with headline writers as a synonym for recommend or extol in a variety of contexts. Researchers Tout Possible Breakthrough on Curing Peanut Allergies Republican presidential hopefuls tout big government as the cure for terror Scientists tout ‘fish toxin’ as potential cancer cure New study touts huge gas hike toll roads to ease traffic congestion in GTHA Judges Tout Program Helping Victims of Domestic Violence Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Whimsical WordsDeck the HallsWhat’s the Best Way to Refer to a Romantic Partner?