While election almost certain to be decided by swing states, pollsters explain why growth in national polls is meaningful


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  • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    No it’s stupid because stretching something generally means by using less like stretching resources by using less, or stretching a band by pulling it making it thinner.
    That’s why it’s stupid because it contains none of the original meaning.
    I can figure out in sports it probably comes from stretching out (muscles), like giving it a bit of extra effort. But the headline doesn’t work in that context either.

    So in short, it’s a stupid use that is erroneously used out of the original context and meaning where it had a common denominator that made sense.
    There is no stretching going on in Harris increasing her lead.

    • fartemoji@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      If you stretch a rubber band it gets longer. The two ends of the band get farther apart. This might be easier to imagine with a broken rubber band rather than a loop. If you stretch a lead, whether in sports, politics, or anything else, the gap gets larger. The two sides get farther apart.

      • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        OK a stretch can also be a distance like: “a stretch of road.” I suppose that somewhat ties it together.
        We actually have the equivalent of stretch of road and to stretch something being similar words, but we would never say stretching a lead.

      • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Are we? I was not aware there was a difference in this context. Isn’t Guardian British.?