run for the exercise en · VERB
Etymology
A pun on two senses of run: to run for election and to travel quickly on foot.
Meanings
-
(US, colloquial, qualifier:simile) To run for political office with little chance of success.
[I]f Rockefeller wanted to run for the exercise, [Democrats] reasoned, let him kill himself off and clear the way for a more regular Republican in the next election.
1959, Candidates 1960 "xxx", Nelson. A Rockefeller, page 53BENTSEN: SAYS HE WON'T RUN "FOR THE EXERCISE" "Asked about the 1992 presidential race, Bentsen said he would not run as a sacrificial lamb so that the [Dems] would have a credible candidate and avoid a humiliating defeat"
1991, The Hotline, volume 4, numbers 127-148, page 3:
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see run, exercise.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| running for the exercise | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| run for the exercise | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| ran for the exercise | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| runs for the exercise | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |