Boxing Metaphors Take A Dive

Put up your dukes and vote!

Face it. Every four years, like a greasy clockwork, the candidates spin into position and chime off. The Metaphor Observatory heard the ticks, then the cuckoos, and now the bells. The boxing metaphors have struck again. Don’t be alarmed…

This is a growing list of boxing metaphors observed in the current electoral donnybrook:

victory, defeat, jab, bloody nose, hit, brass knuckles, round, knockout, punch, strike, blow, bout, on the ropes, jab, poke, bare knuckle, gloves, spar, swing, referree, below the belt, down for the count, title, heavy weight, light weight, ring, arena, pound, sucker punch, scored points, footwork, corner, black eye, throw in the towel, beat, bell, champ, contender, punching bag, enter the ring

Note the general tone of this system – a physical battle. CNN’s coverage is titled “Election Bowl” and uses a football motif – again a physical battle. What could all of this brutality tell us about the subconscious nature of elections? Check back at the Observatory soon!