Online Dictionary

also-ran Explained

also-ran at English => English (Longman) Of Explained:

n [C] someone who fails to win a competition, election etc// --Ten months ago he was just an also-ran for the Democratic nomination.//

also-ran at English => English (WordNet) Of Explained:

also-ran
n : a contestant who loses the contest [syn: {loser}] [ant: {winner}]

also-ran at English (WD) Of Explained:

==English==

Etymology

The phrase comes from the world of horse race betting wherein lists of winners would be published with all non-paying positions printed in a block under the heading 'Also Ran:'.

Noun

Inter: en-noun » head=also-ran
  • A person or animal who competed in a race but did not win.
    1. Figuratively, a loser; one soon to be forgotten.

      Quotations

      * 1960: It also turned Palmer from an also-ran into a challenger. — 'Nerves of Steel', The New York Times, 18 June, 1960

  • 1978: some of Mr. Scorsese's accomplishments have been so stunning—that it's impossible to view "The Last Waltz" as anything but an also-ran. — Janet Maslin, The New York Times, review of The Last Waltz, April 26, 1978
  • 1993: And, of course, it is also far easier, quicker, and less embarrassing to dismiss an also-ran over the phone than it is in person — Martin Yate , Hiring the Best, Adams Media, 1993, page 58
  • 1998: as the drug came out of the R&D laboratory, it could have been just another also-ran — Richard C Dorf, The Technology Management Handbook, CRC Press, 1998, page 3-40
  • 2004: The transition from comer to also-ran can be quick — The New Yorker, August 9 & 16, 2004, p.40

    See also

    * underdog

  • Translation: my » also-ran
    Translation: th » also-ran
    Translation: tr » also-ran
    Translation: vi » also-ran