英语词汇lame duck的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

lame duck. Before the adoption of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution in 1930, any president or congressman who was defeated for election in November elections still held of- fice until the following March 4. These elected officials were called lame ducks because they were mostly ineffectual, al- though they could help pass legislation embarrassing to an incoming administration. The “Lame Duck Amendment” eliminated them, but lame-duck appointments to diplomatic posts, etc., can still be made by a defeated, outgoing president. No one is sure where the term lame duck comes from. It origi- nated about 125 years ago and may have been suggested by the British lame duck, “a person who has lost all his money, who has been financially crippled on the stock exchange.” On the other hand it could be native born, a qualification of the American phrase a dead duck, an outgoing congressman be- ing not quite dead yet, merely “lamed” until March 4 of the following year.

词汇	lame duck
词源	lame duck. Before the adoption of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution in 1930, any president or congressman who was defeated for election in November elections still held of- fice until the following March 4. These elected officials were called lame ducks because they were mostly ineffectual, al- though they could help pass legislation embarrassing to an incoming administration. The “Lame Duck Amendment” eliminated them, but lame-duck appointments to diplomatic posts, etc., can still be made by a defeated, outgoing president. No one is sure where the term lame duck comes from. It origi- nated about 125 years ago and may have been suggested by the British lame duck, “a person who has lost all his money, who has been financially crippled on the stock exchange.” On the other hand it could be native born, a qualification of the American phrase a dead duck, an outgoing congressman be- ing not quite dead yet, merely “lamed” until March 4 of the following year.
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