[Ads-l] the over-under

[Laurence Horn]

So the over-under on the presidential election might be (based on one web site) 
Clinton: 316 electoral votes, 
in which case if you bet the over-under you'd win if she got >316, lose if she got <316 (whether or not she won outright), and push if she got 316 exactly.  Makes sense.

LH 

> On Aug 19, 2016, at 1:03 PM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> On Fri, Aug 19, 2016 at 12:40 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> 
>> This past week I've heard the phrase "the over-under" several times on
>> cable news.
>> 
>> Ex.: "So what's the over-under? What happens?"
>> 
>> Seems to mean "reliable inside information; lowdown."
>> 
>> Wikipedia shows its clear origin in sports betting.
> 
> 
> Checking recent CNN transcripts, "over/under" tends to be used in the way
> you'd expect from sports betting -- specifying a number at which there
> would be even odds if you wagered on the over or the under.
> 
> -----
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> BALDWIN: He talks unity. Obviously, he needs to talk about, you know, he's
> very concerned about the down ballot race. But how many times does he
> mention Trump's name?
> SEAT: Well, I say the over-under is 4.5.
> -----
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> SMERCONISH: Jeffrey, what's the over/under on how times he says his name?
> Five? I mean, that's the question.
> -----
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> COX: So I - well, I'm curious about that. So in this, you know, speech
> we're about to watch, what's the over/under for like how many new ideas or
> policy proposals he puts out?
> -----
> 
> I suppose if people don't understand the source of the expression, they
> could reinterpret "what's the over/under on..." to mean something like
> "what's the lowdown on..."
> 
> --bgz
> 
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