"Lame duck" refers to a politician who remains in power but will soon be replaced by a newly elected successor.
Typically, this decreases the power of the "lame duck" officeholder as attention shifts to the politician's incoming replacement.
However, lame-duck presidents have been known to use this period to exercise some of their powers – such as the presidential pardon – with less concern about public opinion.
No. Other officeholders can also be called "lame ducks."
The Senate recognizes the term and defines a "'lame duck' session" as one that occurs after a November general election and before a new Congress takes power in January.
Historically, the lame-duck session has not led to significant bipartisan pieces of legislation.
"Lame duck" has gained mainstream recognition over the course of centuries and likely finds its roots in England during the 1700s.
The gap between election and inauguration is much shorter now than it used to be, thanks to the 20th Amendment of the Constitution.
That amendment – nicknamed the "Lame Duck Amendment," according to the National Archives –was ratified in 1933 and moved up the inauguration and start of a new Congress.
Before the 20th Amendment, the presidential inauguration was held in early March, the archives report.
The four-month gap between the election and inauguration used to be necessary in the early days of the country to give new presidents time to uproot their lives and move to the nation's capital.