Word Woman

Welcome to another weird and wonderful installment of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! Since the calendar has now officially ticked over to 2009, it's time for the first political word of the new year. This one is dedicated to Word Woman's techie co-worker, who was curious about the origin of the term:

Lame Duck:

Investopedia Says:

A trader or investor who makes poor trades and ends up with heavy losses over time would be considered a lame duck. Often, if a trader goes bankrupt, it is not the result of one bad trade but a long string of them - such a trader is called a lame duck because he or her is ineffective as a trader. (The term lame duck also refers to a politician who has chosen not to seek re-election, is ineligible to run for office again or has lost an election but is still in office until the election winner takes control of the office. The politician is considered a lame duck as he or she is not accountable to the constituency he or she represents.)

Example: Some have wondered whether Bush will try to make significant changes as a lame duck president or simply wait quietly for his final term in office to expire.