free shot

free shot
 n.— «The current arrangement also means Baltimore City officials don’t have to give up their seats to run for the legislature or statewide office. The practice is called a “free shot.” McFadden did it in 1986 when, as a Baltimore city councilman, he challenged an incumbent state senator and lost. Now an incumbent senator, McFadden said he thinks Baltimore officials need to be willing to give up their posts to run for state office.» —“Proposal seeks to reschedule Baltimore elections” by Melissa Harris Baltimore Sun (Maryland) Mar. 9, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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Further reading

By a Long Shot (episode #1572)

Imagine telling someone how to get to your home, but without using the name of your street, or any other street within ten miles. Could you do it? We take street names for granted, but these words are useful for far more, like applying for a job or...

Had the Radish (episode #1527)

Your first name is very personal, but what if you don’t like it? For some people, changing their name works out great but for others it may create more problems than it solves. And: at least three towns in the U.S. were christened with names...