at a disadvantage

(See also PREDICAMENT, VULNERABILITY.)

behind the eightball At a disadvantage; in a jam or difficult situation. Originally American, this expression is said to have come from the game of Kelly pool. In one variation of this game, all the balls except the black eightball must be pocketed in a certain order. If, in the course of play, another ball strikes the eightball, the player is penalized. Thus, a player finding the eightball between the cueball and the one he intends to pocket is indeed in a disadvantageous position. John O’Hara used the phrase in Appointment in Samarra (1934):

You get signing checks for prospects down at the country club, and you wind up behind the eightball.

get the short end of the stick See VICTIMIZATION.

have two strikes against one To be at a disadvantage, and thus have less chance of successfully reaching one’s goal or following through with one’s plans. This expression comes from baseball, where a batter has three chances to hit a ball in the strike zone. Sometimes this expression alludes to a disadvantage over which one has no control, such as one’s sex, race, or ethnic background.

on the hip At a disadvantage, in an extremely vulnerable or helpless position, over a barrel. There is some dispute as to whether this expression derived from hunting or from wrestling. The wrestling theory seems more plausible and is supported by the OED. The phrase, now archaic, dates from the latter half of the 15th century. It appeared in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice:

If I can catch him once upon the hip,
I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him. (I, iii)

play with loaded dice To undertake a project or other matter in which the odds are against success; to have little chance. Literally, loaded dice are those which have been fraudulently weighted to increase the chances of throwing certain combinations—usually losing ones—in craps or other games of chance. Figuratively, then, to play with loaded dice is to engage in some undertaking in which the odds are fixed so that there is little chance of success. A related expression, play with a stacked deck, has the same implications and refers to cheating by stacking a deck of cards, i.e., arranging them in a certain order to force a desired result.

suck the hind teat See VICTIMIZATION.

underdog A person in an inferior position; one who is expected to be defeated in a race, election, etc.; a dark horse. This expression may allude to a canine skirmish, in which both dogs vie for the more advantageous top position. The familiar phrase, while retaining its sense of an unlikely victor in a competition, is often used today to describe the victim of social conventions, government bureaucracy, and other virtually omnipotent institutions.

The mission of the Democratic party is to fight for the under-dog. (Daily Chronicle, June, 1892)