Election lingo
Election season was in full swing, and election fever had seized the globe. Here’s a breakdown of some commonly used phrases to help you cut through the noise.
Candidates spent the final weeks of the campaign on the stump hoping to persuade any voters who were still on the fence. This phase is characterized by a lot of pressing the flesh and even some mudslinging. One thing on the candidates’ minds – particularly in the United States – is steering clear of any political hot potatoes and making sure there are no October surprises.
Match the phrase with its meaning:
| 1) in full swing | a) not able to decide |
| 2) election fever | b) to talk to people in a crowd and shake their hands |
| 3) cut through the noise | c) to count |
| 4) on the stump | d) an overwhelming victory or success |
| 5) on the fence | e) at the highest level of activity |
| 6) to press the flesh | f) a controversial issue |
| 7) mudslinging | g) a contest in which one candidate seems certain to win |
| 8) political hot potato | h) particularly negative, often nasty and very personal campaigning |
| 9) October surprise | i) to win by a very small margin |
| 10) to tally | j) to focus on the important information and ignore distracting details |
| 11) clean sweep | k) travelling around giving speeches and to get political support |
| 12) to win by a nose | l) a near-tie between competitors |
| 13) one-horse race | m) being excited about the election |
| 14) close contest | n) a news event that may influence the election outcome |
Answers: 1-e, 2-m, 3-j, 4-k, 5-a, 6-b, 7-h, 8-f, 9-n, 10-c, 11-d, 12-i, 13-g, 14-l