"<to be> in the tank for <someone>"

[Laurence Horn]

>FWIW, sounds like boxing to me. A fighter who goes into the tank for
>someone has agreed to throw the fight,

Cf. also the verb "to tank", as used in various sports.  First OED
cite 1976, with a tennis reference--but wasn't it around earlier, in
boxing (= 'take a dive') or elsewhere?

>with the meaning perhaps
>influenced by "be in bed with."
>
>-Wilson
>
>On 1/1/06, Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
>>  Subject:      Re: "<to be> in the tank for <someone>"
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>  I see Mark has already posted his query to the Usenet newsgroup
>>  alt.usage.english, where it's generated a lot of discussion. Richard
>>  Maurer and Mark Brader found a number of exx. on newsgroups for sports
>>  and politics. The earliest using the full "in the tank for" expression
>>  is from from Nov 8 1994:
>>
>>      It is clear the networks and Newsweek went in the tank
>>      for Democrats to try to save them
>>
>>  And there's this from George H.W. Bush's speech accepting the
>>  presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention, Aug 20,
>>  1992:
>>
>>      http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/shownomination.php?convid=5
>>      After all, my opponent's campaign is being backed by practically
>>      every trial lawyer who ever wore a tasselled loafer. He's not in the
>>      ring with them; he's in the tank.
>>
>>
>>  --Ben Zimmer
>>