A、A disabled little child. B、A hard-working farmer. C、A politician who has to come to the end of his power. D、An absent-minded o

The expression, "lame duck", can be heard in almost any American town or city, especially where people discuss politics. Most often, they use it to describe a politician who has come to the end of his power.
    There are a number of ideas as to where "lame duck" came from, though the picture of a lame duck is clear enough; a duck that has had its wings cut, or its feet injured, and can no longer walk like a healthy one.
    The term seems to have come into the American language after the Civil War of 1861-1865. One explanation is that it came from the language of hunters who felt that it was foolish to waste powder or time on a dead duck. And a lame duck is close to being a dead duck.
    Another explanation, however, is that the expression came from England. There it was used to describe a man who lost all his money and could not pay his debts. He could do nothing but walk like a lame duck. And people showed little mercy for the poor fellow.
    But in the United States people took the phrase to describe congressman who failed to get re-elected but still had a little time left in office.
    Later, the expression was used in a broader sense, generally describing any man whose days of power were coming to an end. It has often been used to describe the position of an American president in the last two years or so of his second term. It is a difficult time for him, when Congress is ready to oppose him at every turn.