Reader's question: Early on Bush had such a healthy lead some experts were predicting he would win hands down in November. But two weeks later Gore caught up and some polls showed him edging ahead.

Could you explain "win hands down"?

My comments:

If you can win, say, a fistfight with someone without lifting a hand, then you literally win the fight with both hands down.

Hence, if you win anything hands down, you are able to do it easily, effortlessly.

In the above example: Pundits (experts, analysts) thought Bush would win, hands down (as adverb), in November (elections) because he had a healthy (big) lead (in the polls).

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Go to Zhang Xin's column

本文仅代表作者本人观点，与本网立场无关。欢迎大家讨论学术问题，尊重他人，禁止人身攻击和发布一切违反国家现行法律法规的内容。

Zhang Xin has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.