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Reader question: Please explain this sentence: At a point in a game when a sprinting underdog could use a little tail wind, the air was dead. My comments: It means when the athlete needs a little push from behind (tail wind), he didn’t get any. Metaphorically speaking, this could mean any situation where when one needs a little extra help, one gets none. There was none – the air was dead. But first, “sprinting underdog”. That refers to the sprinter, a short distance runner who you don’t expect to win. Sprinter or dasher refers to someone who runs as fast as he can, hence a short distance runner, such as a 100-meter or 200-meter runner. Unlike running the marathon, the 100-meter sprinter runs as fast as he can without having to strategize as the marathoner does in order to conserve energy for the latter stages of a 42-kilometer race (a marathon is 42,195 meters in distance, to be exact). The sprinter has no need to worry about strategy because he literally has no time for it, as the 100-meter race finishes in about 10 seconds, and often less at a top competition, such as the Olympics. Underdog? That refers to someone whom you least expect to win. Simply picture two dogs fighting, one atop the other. The one fighting from below is the underdog. It’s a terrible position to be in obviously, fighting someone on top of you all the time. Hence the underdog is at a disadvantaged position – people don’t expect him to win. | 
