Lame duck
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A person or thing that is helpless, inefficient, or disabled. colloquial
"Thus is happens, that, when a considerable loss arises from such contract, the principal on whole behalf it was made, refuses to fulfil it; in this case, the loss falls upon the broker, without remedy; and if he does not fulfil the contract in default of his prinicipal, he foreits his credit and business, and becomes, in the cant of the Alley, a lame duck."
- 2 an elected official still in office but not slated to continue wordnet
- 3 An elected official who has lost the recent election or is not eligible for reelection and is marking time until leaving office. US
"Congressman Jones was a lame duck and did not vote on many issues that were important to his constituents."
- 4 A person who cannot fulfill their contracts. dated, slang
- 5 A server that continues to serve ongoing requests while refusing new ones, allowing for graceful shutdown.
- 1 To behave in the manner of a lame duck. informal, intransitive, transitive
Example
More examples"Thus is happens, that, when a considerable loss arises from such contract, the principal on whole behalf it was made, refuses to fulfil it; in this case, the loss falls upon the broker, without remedy; and if he does not fulfil the contract in default of his prinicipal, he foreits his credit and business, and becomes, in the cant of the Alley, a lame duck."
Etymology
Equivalent to lame + duck. First use appears c. 1761, in the London Evening Post. Derived from the situation in which a person who had defaulted in the London Stock Exchange was said to waddle out of Exchange Alley like a lame duck. Verbal form first appears c. 1910.