One of the words most commonly used to describe the effect of the midterm elections on Democrats was "shellacking". And, although I knew exactly what was meant by it, I'd never stopped to wonder why shellacking had taken on the meaning of beating soundly and thoroughly.
So, I looked up the etymology of the word and the explanation seems simple enough...it's a pun!
Shellac was used to "finish" wood, pre-polyurethane. So, to be "shellacked" is to be "finished".
I like it!
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