The Language of Elections 🗳

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.

Election Lingo Quiz 📊

Match the phrase with its meaning:

Phrases

1. in full swing
2. election fever
3. cut through the noise
4. on the stump
5. on the fence
6. to press the flesh
7. mudslinging
8. political hot potato
9. October surprise
10. to tally
11. clean sweep
12. to win by a nose
13. one-horse race
14. close contest

Meanings

• a) not able to decide
• b) to talk to people in a crowd and shake their hands
• c) to count
• d) an overwhelming victory or success
• e) at the highest level of activity
• f) a controversial issue
• g) a contest in which one candidate seems certain to win
• h) particularly negative, often nasty and very personal campaigning
• i) to win by a very small margin
• j) to focus on the important information and ignore distracting details
• k) travelling around giving speeches and to get political support
• l) a near-tie between competitors
• m) being excited about the election
• 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

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