Idioms with the word election

be up for reelection

To have one’s position in public office become contestable again in a public election. You can tell the mayor is up for reelection this year, because he’s started pandering to all the most influential demographics. Knowing that her seat would not be up for reelection, the senator began pushing policies that were pretty far out of alignment with her constituency.

clean sweep

1. A large-scale removal of unwanted people or objects to expedite change. In an effort to save the company, the new CEO made a clean sweep and replaced everyone in the finance department. Wow, the garage looks completely different after our big clean sweep!

2. A victory by a large margin, especially one in which the opposing side accumulated none or a very small fraction of the votes, points, etc., required to win. Used especially in politics. The election was a clean sweep for the senator, who won in nearly every county. My team achieved a clean sweep at the national mathematics competition.

up for reelection

Having one’s position in public office become contestable again in a public election. You can tell the mayor is up for reelection this year, because he’s started pandering to all the most influential demographics. Knowing that she would not be up for reelection, the senator began pushing policies that were pretty far out of alignment with her constituency.

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

clean sweep

a broad movement clearing or affecting everything in its pathway. The manager and everybody in accounting got fired in a clean sweep of that department. Everybody got a pay rise. It was a clean sweep.

*up for reelection

Fig. to be running for reelection to an office or position. (*Typically: be ~; come ~.) The governor is up for reelection in the fall. Lily is up for reelection this fall.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

clean sweep

n. a broad movement clearing or affecting everything in the pathway. (Usually figurative.) Everybody got a raise. It was a clean sweep.

McGraw-Hill’s Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

See also:

• be up for reelection
• reelection
• up for reelection
• make public
• alert the public
• be run out of town
• get run out of town
• public eye
• the common weal
• the public weal

Idiom/Saying	Explanation
One / Two … horse race For example: General elections in the UK are generally a two horse race.	A competition or election which don’t have many likely winners.
Election fever For example: The media is suffering from election fever, you can’t switch the TV on without being bombarded by political pundits.	The frenzy the media goes into whenever a general election is announced.
Hot air For example: Politicians always talk a load of hot air.	Empty, exaggerated, or pretentious talk.
Hung parliament For example: Everyone is saying there will be a hung parliament this election and the parties will have to make alliances with the smaller parties to form a majority.	A parliament in which no one political party has an outright majority.
Toe the party line For example: «He’ll have to learn to toe the party line, if he wants to get on.»	To conform to the rules or standards of the political party you belong to.
Body politic For example: «Judge Sydney Harris ordered the crown to return to the Body Politic all material seized during the raid.»	A politically organized group of people under a single government.
A political football For example: «Women’s health issues are always a political football.»	A problem that doesn’t get solved because the politics of the issue get in the way, or the issue is very controversial.
A political hot potato For example: «The expenses scandal is a political hot potato.»	Something potentially dangerous or embarassing.
Political machinery. For example:- The political machinery has yet to understand the opportunity or threat of the internet and social websites.	The way politics runs in the UK.
Politically correct / incorrect (PC) For example: «Bernard Manning was never very PC.»	To use or not use language that will cause offence — often shortened to PC.
Press the flesh. For example: «He has to do a lot of flesh pressing in the run up to the elections.»	To shake hands.
To get on / off your soapbox For example: «Hyde Park, in London is famous for people who get on their soapbox to discuss issues that concern them.»	To talk a lot about a subject you feel strongly about. If someone tells you to «get off your soapbox» they think you’re talking too much about that subject.
Throw in the towel. For example: They knew they were going to lose, so they threw in the towel.	To give up
To vote with your feet. For example: I told her that if she didn’t like the job she could always vote with her feet.	To leave
More idioms and sayings

Таблица 1.

Идиома	Объяснение
ONE / TWO … HORSE RACE Пример: General elections in the UK are generally a two horse race.	ТЕАТР ОДНОГО АКТЕРА Соревнование, в котором не ожидается много победителей
ELECTION FEVER Пример: The media is suffering from election fever, you can’t switch the TV on without being bombarded by political pundits.	ПРЕДВЫБОРНАЯ ГОНКА, предвыборный ажиотаж Шумиха в СМИ, связанная с выборами
HOT AIR Пример: Politicians always talk a load of hot air.	ПУСТЫЕ РАЗГОВОРЫ, пустые обещания, из пустого в порожнее
HUNG PARLIAMENT Пример: Everyone is saying there will be a hung parliament this election and the parties will have to make alliances with the smaller parties to form a majority.	ПОДВЕШЕННЫЙ ПАРЛАМЕНТ, «зависшее правительство» Ситуация, когда ни у одной из партий в правительстве нет большинства
TOE THE PARTY LINE Пример: «He’ll have to learn to toe the party line, if he wants to get on.»	ПРИДЕРЖИВАТЬСЯ ЛИНИИ ПАРТИИ
BODY POLITIC Пример: «Judge Sydney Harris ordered the crown to return to the Body Politic all material seized during the raid.»	ПОЛИТИЧЕСКАЯ СТРУКТУРА
A POLITICAL FOOTBALL Пример: «Women’s health issues are always a political football.»	ПОЛИТИЧЕСКАЯ ЧЕХАРДА Ситуация, в которой правительство не может принять единое решение из-за несогласованности действий его членов
A POLITICAL HOT POTATO Пример: «The expenses scandal is a political hot potato.»	ПОЛИТИЧЕСКАЯ БОМБА Потенциально опасный или щекотливый политический вопрос
POLITICAL MACHINERY. Пример: The political machinery has yet to understand the opportunity or threat of the internet and social websites.	ПОЛИТИЧЕСКАЯ МАШИНА, политические структуры
POLITICALLY CORRECT / INCORRECT (PC) Пример: «Bernard Manning was never very PC.»	ПОЛИТИЧЕСКИ КОРРЕКТНЫЙ / НЕКОРРЕКТНЫЙ
PRESS THE FLESH.Пример: «He has to do a lot of flesh pressing in the run up to the elections.»	ПОЖАТЬ РУКИ
TO GET ON / OFF YOUR SOAPBOX Пример: «Hyde Park, in London is famous for people who get on their soapbox to discuss issues that concern them.»	БЫТЬ В СВОЕЙ / НЕ В СВОЕЙ СТИХИИ Много говорить на тему, в которой кто-либо компетентен
THROW IN THE TOWEL. Пример: They knew they were going to lose, so they threw in the towel.	СДАТЬСЯ
TO VOTE WITH YOUR FEET. Пример: I told her that if she didn’t like the job she could always vote with her feet.	УХОДИТЬ, увольняться, уходить в отставку

выборы, избрание, перевыборы, предопределение

существительное ↓

Словосочетания

on the eve of the election — накануне выборов  
the election of the London mayor — выборы мэра Лондона  
a TV special on the election — специальный телевизионный выпуск о ходе выборов  
election campaign — избирательная кампания  
to decide / swing an election — успешно провести выборы, добиться успеха на выборах  
to fix / rig an election — подтасовывать, фальсифицировать результаты выборов  
to hold an election — проводить выборы  
the election of winners — выбор победителей  
election by direct suffrage — прямые выборы  
close election — напряженная борьба  
come up for election — приходить на выборы  
condemn election — осуждать выборы  

Примеры с переводом

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

Возможные однокоренные слова

elect  — избранный, лучший, избранные, избранник, избирать, выбирать
elected  — выбранный
elections  — выборы
electable  — имеющий право быть избранным, заслуживающий избрания

Формы слова

noun
ед. ч.(singular): election
мн. ч.(plural): elections

9 Priceless Political Idioms in American English

Guest post by Jennifer Renart from Next Step English.

If YOU would like to write a guest post on PurlandTraining.com, please do get in touch!

When students ask me about how to improve their English, one of the things I always recommend is watching the news in English. And you can’t watch the news without running into some common political idioms in American English. Do you know what a spin doctor is? How about a fishing expedition? Keep reading to learn 9 essential idioms about politics in American English, complete with FREE infographic!

Political idioms in American English – Strange Bedfellows

When we say that two people, organizations, etc. make strange bedfellows, we mean that they form an unusual or unexpected political alliance. A sort of political odd couple.

In the United States, the two main political parties are the Republicans and the Democrats. They are usually adversaries (= they usually oppose or compete with each other), so if a Republican and a Democrat worked together on an issue, we would say that they were strange bedfellows.

Example sentence: Did you hear that Randy Republican and Dorothy Democrat are working together on this new immigration bill? Talk about strange bedfellows!

Political idioms in American English – Lame Duck

This is a political idiom that you often hear after an election. A lame duck is a politician or a government that doesn’t have much real power because their period in office will end soon and their successor has already been elected. We most often use this idiom to talk about the US President, although it can apply to other politicians, too.

Presidential elections in the US take place in early November, but the newly elected president doesn’t start his term until January. The previous president is considered a lame duck from election day until the new president starts. Everyone knows they’re on their way out, so it’s difficult for them to get much accomplished. 

Example sentence: He was hoping to accomplish more during his last days in office, but he’d overestimated how much he could get done as a lame duck.

Political idioms in American English – Spin Doctor

When you spin something, you present information in a particular way, especially one that makes your ideas seem good or your opponents’ ideas seem bad.

So, what’s a spin doctor?

A spin doctor is someone who spins for a living! A spin doctor is someone whose job it is to present information to the public about a politician, an organization, etc. in the way that seems the most positive.

All US presidents have spin doctors. In current American politics, Kellyanne Conway is often referred to as President Trump’s spin doctor.

Example sentence: I’m not interested in the soliloquizing of spin doctors. What are the facts? The plain facts?

(Soliloquize = (usually disapproving) to give a speech about your thoughts, as if you were a character in a play speaking directly to the audience, instead of engaging in a conversation.)

Political idioms in American English – Politically Correct

You probably know that PC can refer to your desktop computer, but did you know that it has a political meaning, too? PC is a short way of saying ‘politically correct’.

If speech or behaviour is politically correct, it makes a deliberate effort not to offend a particular group (or groups) of people.

Political correctness is a hotly debated issue in the United States. On the one hand, it’s obviously wrong to make fun of the disabled or use racial slurs. On the other hand, some people become so worried about being politically correct that they worry that filling their eyebrows might be cultural appropriation. And my sister’s friend actually told her that it was offensive for her to practice yoga because she has European ancestry, not Asian ancestry. (In case you’re wondering, my sister has not quit yoga.)

In the United States, we have people who hate political correctness so much that they behave in offensive ways on purpose. And we have people who are so politically correct that they’re just obnoxious. Luckily, most people live somewhere in the middle.

Is political correctness an issue in your country? Tell us in the comments below!

Political idioms in American English – October Surprise

This American political idiom specifically refers to elections. So, what is an October surprise?

An October surprise is any news event orchestrated or damaging information released in the month before an election, deliberately timed in the hopes of affecting the outcome of the election.

Example sentence: Things look good now, but we need to be prepared for an October surprise. Anything can happen in the final days before an election!

Political idioms in American English – Witch Hunt

These days, you can’t escape this political idiom in American news. It seems to be everywhere on Twitter and other social media!

So what is a witch hunt? A witch hunt is a politically motivated, often vindictive investigation that feeds on public fears.

This popular idiom comes from a dark period in European and American history when people believed that witches were the cause of bad things happening in society. People began accusing members of their communities of witchcraft, and many of those people were executed on the basis of irrational evidence.

This idiom became popular in American politics during the McCarthy Era, when hundreds of Americans were aggressively investigated for potentially being Communists.

Example sentence: No reasonable person could think this investigation was actually after truth or justice. It’s a total witch hunt. 

Related: Are you hungry for more idioms? Check out our latest idioms here!

Political idioms in American English – (To Commit) Political Suicide

Committing political suicide means doing something unpopular that will likely lead to the end of your career as a politician.

Example sentence: I know you think these activists are idiots, but you can’t say that publicly. It’s political suicide!

Political idioms in American English – Fishing Expedition

When you go fishing, you dip your line into the water and hope that something bites. You might not catch a fish right away, but if you keep at it, you know that you’ll probably catch something eventually.

So, what is a fishing expedition? It’s a political and legal idiom that we use to describe an investigation carried out without any clearly defined plan or purpose, in the hope of discovering useful negative information about someone.

Example sentence: These document requests can’t possibly lead to the discovery of relevant information! You’re on a fishing expedition, and I think the judge will agree with me!

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Discuss 100 Critical Differences between Men and Women

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Political idioms in American English – Red Tape

I saved the best for last!

Have you ever been frustrated by endless paperwork when you need to do something with the government? Then you have been a victim of red tape!

Red tape refers to official rules that seem more complicated than necessary and prevent things from being done quickly.

This is something that I personally love to complain about. Curse you, red tape!

…which is why, of course, I love the girl described in Cake’s ‘Short Skirt, Long Jacket’! (Jump to 1:32.)

I want a girl who gets up early.

I want a girl who stays up late.

I want a girl with uninterrupted prosperity,

Who uses a machete to cut through red tape!

Example sentence: You want us to start construction next week? Think again, buddy! We’ve got at least 6 months of red tape to get through first, and that’s if we’re lucky.

Political Idioms Infographic

I hope you enjoyed learning these popular political idioms. Here’s an infographic to help you remember them! Check out more great infographics for learning English here!

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Jennifer founded Next Step English so she could help advanced English learners master the vocabulary that native speakers don’t expect them to know. Vocabulary that will make native speakers think, ‘Wow! You really know English!’

In her free time, she loves hiking, playing Bananagrams, and binge-watching British murder mysteries.

You can interact with her on Twitter, Pinterest, or YouTube.

‘Happy learning, English nerds!’ 👊🤓