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Reader question: Please explain this sentence, particularly “too close to call”: A new poll reveals that the election remains tight and too close to call. My comments: Tight, yes. It means the candidates running in the election are neck and neck, like two horses running side by side in a close race. Neck and neck literally means the two horses are so close that one can barely tell which neck belongs to which one horse, i.e. the two horses are level with each other as they gallop towards the finish line. In other words, the two horses have an equal chance of winning. In our example, it means all the candidates have an equal chance of winning. Hence, the election is too close to call, meaning it’s really hard to say (call) who is going to win. To “call” here means to make a judgment call. Judgment call? This is easily understood in the context of a sports competition. In a basketball match, for example, we see two (or sometimes three on the professional level) officials running around the court with players. Their job is to ensure players all play according to rules and are not harming each other. If one player bumps into another player hard, for example, one of the officials may blow a whistle and call a foul against the offender. We say “call” a foul because the officials (or judges or umpires in other sports) really have to call, i.e. SHOUT so that everyone on and off the court can hear them clearly, especially if it’s a big stadium and the audiences are large and rowdy. | 
