"lame duck" , accountability to their constituencies, scarred

 Scarred Avon Is Takeover Target

Avon Products, weakened by poor financial results, a long-running bribe probe and a lame-duck CEO, is now in play after Coty Inc. made an unsolicited $10 billion takeover offer.

When and why was America's Inauguration Day switched from March 4 to January 20? In America's early days, before railroads decreased travel time, it took longer to travel between cities. Newly elected federal officials needed more time to get to Washington. With federal elections taking place at the beginning of November, and officials only taking office in March, outgoing senators and representatives — and the outgoing president and vice president — were still able to vote and conduct business without any accountability to their constituencies. At the same time, these "lame duck" sessions were highly unproductive, with outgoing members less interested in pursuing new legislation. Nebraska Senator George Norris proposed moving the federal inaugurations up a few months, and this became law with the passage of the Constitution's Twentieth Amendment, ratified on January 23, 1933. Going forward, the president and vice president would be inaugurated on January 20, and congressional terms would begin on January 3.

Quote:

"You know, it's just one small step from legacy to lame duck." — Bill Clinton

láme dúck[láme dúck]

1 ((主に米))再選には落ちたがまだ任期の残っている議員［政治家, 政府］

a lame duck president
レイムダック化した大統領.

2 ((略式))役にたたなくなった人［物］；他の助けを必要とする［組織, 物］.

3 ((俗))（株式市場で）巨額の損をした人.

 lame duck，跛腳鴨。香港抗議推進至今已有半年，時報專欄作者羅傑·科恩認為， 這場“街頭戰爭”遠未結束 。潘多拉的盒子已被打開，冒出來的精靈叫自由。而政治上的“跛腳鴨”林鄭月娥已經乏力，疲於應對。 Lame duck意為跛腳鴨，也可指弱者或能力、成就等落後的人。

scar[scar¹]

• 発音記号[skɑ'ːr][名]

1 （傷・やけど・できもの・注射の）跡；傷跡；（一般に物・心に残された）傷（跡）

scar tissue
傷跡

a vaccination scar
種痘の跡

It left scars on her mind.
そのことで彼女の心は傷ついた.

2 《植物》葉痕(こん).

━━[動]（〜red, 〜・ring）(他)((通例受身))…に（肉体的・精神的な）傷跡を残す

a face scarred by ［with］ smallpox
種痘の跡が残った顔

The accident scarred him for life.
その事故は彼に一生癒えない傷跡を残した.

━━(自)〈傷が〉治って跡が残る((over))；治る.