shoo-ins
Guaranteed to win
Shoo-ins are candidates or competitors considered certain to win.
The term comes from horse racing, where a shoo-in was a horse meant to win a fixed race—jockeys would hold back their mounts and "shoo" the designated winner across the finish line.
The corrupt origin has faded; now it simply means sure things: The incumbent is a shoo-in for reelection.
Most preferred choices
- locksSecurity fastening devices
- certaintiesAssured truths
- sure thingsGuaranteed outcomes
- frontrunnersThose leading a competition
odds-on · underdogs · brackets · seedings · rankings · champions · contenders · finalists
Those leading a competition
- incumbentsCurrent holders of positions
- favoritesMost preferred choices
- landslideMass of earth falling
- uncontestedFacing no rivals
nominees · candidates · polling · primaries · reelection · safe seats · delegates · ballots
Preferring kin in hiring
- connectionsRelationships between things
- insidersThose with special access
- preferentialGiven special advantage
- cronyismFavoring friends in appointments
favoritism · networking · recommendations · promotions · appointments · selections · interviews · shortlists
favorites
Most preferred choices
- locksSecurity fastening devices
- certaintiesAssured truths
- sure thingsGuaranteed outcomes
frontrunners · odds-on · underdogs · brackets · seedings · rankings · champions · contenders · finalists · qualifiers
frontrunners
Those leading a competition
- incumbentsCurrent holders of positions
- favoritesMost preferred choices
- landslideMass of earth falling
uncontested · nominees · candidates · polling · primaries · reelection · safe seats · delegates · ballots · campaigns
nepotism
Preferring kin in hiring
- connectionsRelationships between things
- insidersThose with special access
- preferentialGiven special advantage
cronyism · favoritism · networking · recommendations · promotions · appointments · selections · interviews · shortlists · patronage
shoo-insunderdogs
Competitors expected to fail
long shots · dark horses · no-hopers · lost causes · losers
shoo-insunderdogs
Competitors expected to fail
long shots · outsiders · dark horses · unknowns · wildcards
shoo-instoss-ups
Unpredictable outcomes
coin flips · wild cards · unpredictables · question marks · uncertainties