See run like a dry creek in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for run like a dry creek meaning in English (3.6kB)
{
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{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "run"
},
"expansion": "run",
"name": "m"
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],
"etymology_text": "A pun on two senses of run: to flow (as in \"running water\") and to stand for election.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "runs like a dry creek",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "running like a dry creek",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "ran like a dry creek",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "run like a dry creek",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
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}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "run<,,ran,run> like a dry creek"
},
"expansion": "run like a dry creek (third-person singular simple present runs like a dry creek, present participle running like a dry creek, simple past ran like a dry creek, past participle run like a dry creek)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "American English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English similes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Politics",
"orig": "en:Politics",
"parents": [
"Society",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1952, LIFE, volume 33, number 10, page 49",
"text": "The Scripps-Howard newspapers, which are supporting Eisenhower, criticized Ike for \"running like a dry creek.\"",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1997, New Statesman, page 18",
"text": "The last of the six candidates, Stephen Dorrell, did not even get off the starting-blocks. His campaign ran like a dry creek from day one.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2009, W. J. Rorabaugh, The Real Making of the President",
"text": "One Illinois delegate said, \"I saw Lodge on television today, and he'll run like a dry creek.\"",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To run for political office with little chance of success."
],
"id": "en-run_like_a_dry_creek-en-verb-ySOuYufZ",
"links": [
[
"politics",
"politics"
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],
"qualifier": "simile",
"raw_glosses": [
"(simile, US, colloquial, politics) To run for political office with little chance of success."
],
"tags": [
"US",
"colloquial"
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"topics": [
"government",
"politics"
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},
{
"categories": [
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"kind": "other",
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"kind": "other",
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},
{
"_dis": "15 85",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
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"Entry maintenance"
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"source": "w+disamb"
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],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1956, American Mercury, volume 83, number 390, page 153",
"text": "Carlyle had a brief trial in the big leagues with the Red Sox and the Yankees. But he ran like a dry creek and was weak of arm.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1985, Jay Richter, Where credit was due: the creation of the National Consumer Cooperative Bank, page 24",
"text": "The League knew little about lobbving and its cash flow ran like a dry creek. Small and big business were against a consumer cooperative bank bill.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1989, David L. Moore, Dark Sky, Dark Land",
"text": "The days stretch ahead, dull and tedious, and the camp seems to be doing nothing, going nowhere, running like a dry creek.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To run (in various senses) badly or not at all."
],
"id": "en-run_like_a_dry_creek-en-verb-QtflJt1d",
"qualifier": "simile",
"raw_glosses": [
"(simile, US, colloquial) To run (in various senses) badly or not at all."
],
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "41 59",
"word": "run for the exercise"
},
{
"_dis1": "41 59",
"word": "could not get elected dogcatcher"
}
],
"tags": [
"US",
"colloquial"
]
}
],
"word": "run like a dry creek"
}
{
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"1": "en",
"2": "run"
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"expansion": "run",
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],
"etymology_text": "A pun on two senses of run: to flow (as in \"running water\") and to stand for election.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "runs like a dry creek",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "running like a dry creek",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "ran like a dry creek",
"tags": [
"past"
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},
{
"form": "run like a dry creek",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
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}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "run<,,ran,run> like a dry creek"
},
"expansion": "run like a dry creek (third-person singular simple present runs like a dry creek, present participle running like a dry creek, simple past ran like a dry creek, past participle run like a dry creek)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"word": "run for the exercise"
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{
"word": "could not get elected dogcatcher"
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],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
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"English similes",
"English terms with quotations",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned",
"en:Politics"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1952, LIFE, volume 33, number 10, page 49",
"text": "The Scripps-Howard newspapers, which are supporting Eisenhower, criticized Ike for \"running like a dry creek.\"",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1997, New Statesman, page 18",
"text": "The last of the six candidates, Stephen Dorrell, did not even get off the starting-blocks. His campaign ran like a dry creek from day one.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2009, W. J. Rorabaugh, The Real Making of the President",
"text": "One Illinois delegate said, \"I saw Lodge on television today, and he'll run like a dry creek.\"",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To run for political office with little chance of success."
],
"links": [
[
"politics",
"politics"
]
],
"qualifier": "simile",
"raw_glosses": [
"(simile, US, colloquial, politics) To run for political office with little chance of success."
],
"tags": [
"US",
"colloquial"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"politics"
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},
{
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],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1956, American Mercury, volume 83, number 390, page 153",
"text": "Carlyle had a brief trial in the big leagues with the Red Sox and the Yankees. But he ran like a dry creek and was weak of arm.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1985, Jay Richter, Where credit was due: the creation of the National Consumer Cooperative Bank, page 24",
"text": "The League knew little about lobbving and its cash flow ran like a dry creek. Small and big business were against a consumer cooperative bank bill.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1989, David L. Moore, Dark Sky, Dark Land",
"text": "The days stretch ahead, dull and tedious, and the camp seems to be doing nothing, going nowhere, running like a dry creek.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To run (in various senses) badly or not at all."
],
"qualifier": "simile",
"raw_glosses": [
"(simile, US, colloquial) To run (in various senses) badly or not at all."
],
"tags": [
"US",
"colloquial"
]
}
],
"word": "run like a dry creek"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-24 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (82c8ff9 and f4967a5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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