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The phrase “lame duck” was a financial term in 18th-century London referring to stockbrokers who had defaulted on their debts. Presumably, the phrase originated from the Gaelic words for hand (lamh) and misfortune (diugan)—a businessman with an unlucky hand, becoming, metaphorically, a powerless aquatic bird unable to keep up with the flock. In the United States, the phrase came to mean politicians who had been defeated in a recent election but who remained in their seats until the newly empowered took over. We have had many lame duck presidents; and, every two years, we have a lame duck Congress.
The phrase “lame duck” was a financial term in 18th-century London referring to stockbrokers who had defaulted on their debts. Presumably, the phrase originated from the Gaelic words for hand (lamh) and misfortune (diugan)—a businessman with an unlucky hand, becoming, metaphorically, a powerless aquatic bird unable to keep up with the flock.
In the United States, the phrase came to mean politicians who had been defeated in a recent election but who remained in their seats until the newly empowered took over. We have had many lame duck presidents; and, every two years, we have a lame duck Congress.