Reader's question: He's a good man but he's a long shot. Most voters have never heard of him; he can't raise much money; he has no political experience. I'd say his chances are very small.

Could you explain “l(fā)ong shot”?

My comments:

If you make a shot at something, you will either make the shot or miss it. A long shot is one that’s likely to miss. In the above example, when the man is considered a long shot, “his chances (of winning) are very small”. And it’s very well explained too: “Most voters have never heard of him; he can't raise much money; he has no political experience.”

Here’s another example, an AP report on the possibility of two of the NBA’s biggest star players (Dwayne Wade and LeBron James) playing on the same team (LeBron says he’s done talking about free agency, November 12, 2009):

“It’s a long shot, no question about it, it’s a long shot,” Wade told reporters in Miami. “I mean, I’m in Miami, he’s in Cleveland. He’s been put in a position in Cleveland where he has the opportunity to compete for a championship now.

“And I’m in Miami, where I’ve won a championship and this is where I love to be. So it’s not like we’re both looking over our shoulders, saying, ‘I want to get out of here.’ It’s a long shot, but, at the end of the day, it is a shot.”

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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.