lame duck
noun
Origin of lame duck
OTHER WORDS FROM lame duck
lame-duck, adjectiveWords nearby lame duck
Example sentences from the Web for lame duck
It shouldn't be done by a lame-duck Congress, which is a threat to US sovereignty.
And why would she consign herself to lame-duck status, even if two years from now that might be her intention?
Nancy Pelosi Decides to Stay as Democratic Leader, Maps Out Women’s Future |Eleanor Clift |November 14, 2012 |DAILY BEASTPresident Obama said that the lame-duck session of the 111th Congress proves that "we're not doomed to endless gridlock."
I was actually convinced if it went down he would be a lame-duck president.
British Dictionary definitions for lame duck
noun
- an elected official or body of officials remaining in office in the interval between the election and inauguration of a successor
- (as modifier)a lame-duck president
Cultural definitions for lame duck
A public official or administration serving out a term in office after having been defeated for reelection or when not seeking reelection.
Idioms and Phrases with lame duck
An elected officeholder whose term of office has not yet expired but who has failed to be re-elected and therefore cannot garner much political support for initiatives. For example, You can't expect a lame duck President to get much accomplished; he's only got a month left in office. This expression originated in the 1700s and then meant a stockbroker who did not meet his debts. It was transferred to officeholders in the 1860s. The Lame Duck Amendment, 20th to the U.S. Constitution, calls for Congress and each new President to take office in January instead of March (as before), thereby eliminating the lame-duck session of Congress.