Comments on: “In the Tank”

By: Larry

Larry — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:58:10 +0000

“In the tank?”

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/dukakis.gif

By: EscMac

EscMac — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:40:48 +0000

In the tank is slang and it is in association with the phrase – the movie tanked at the box office. It means to throw a fight or in this case of the Liberal media NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, AP, NewYorkTimes, LATimes, most Universities, teachers unions, most other unions, most of the countries courts, Hollywood etc. etc. etc. were in the Tank for BHO, they were willing to throw the election for an unknown and untested candidate.

By: DrThunderer

DrThunderer — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:14:07 +0000

I always assumed it was related to the phrase “swimming with the sharks.”

“He’s in the tank for Obama, he’s swimming with the sharks.”

By: BLINDLIGHT

BLINDLIGHT — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:47:07 +0000

The expression “In the Tank” has come to mean, in a coloquial sense, lack of objectivity, subjective thinking etc, in this context the comment of the gentleman regard throwing drunk in the tank is on the mark..i.e. egocentrics are usually drunk on themselves.

By: grant

grant — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:08:16 +0000

I’m sure this has to do with Dukakis driving the tank during his campaign. The geeky overreach for public opinion.

By: mm

mm — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:20:42 +0000

“In the Tank” is a made up saying of recent origin….

Whoever started this, meant to say, “in the bag”, but made a mistake and then was copied by all the other pundits that use each other sayings….

By: m

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:45:28 +0000

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/magazine/20wwln-safire-t.html?ref=magazine

A tank was the 19th-century term for what we now call a swimming pool; the metaphor evoked a picture of diving to the ring’s canvas-covered floor — as if into a pool — to feign loss of consciousness. “By extension,” Dickson reports, “when a fighter or anything else (including a stock) takes a nose dive he or she has tanked.”

By: Marty

Marty — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:18:04 +0000

This phrase has gained prevalence only recently, it seems, and often in the context of speaking about bias in the media, as in “MSNBC is totally in the tank for Obama.” So I’ve always thought that the etymology behind its current usage has to do with all those “embedded” reporters during the Iraq War who essentially abdicated their journalistic responsibilities and ended up being cheerleaders for the military forces they were riding around with, that is, in the tank with them.

By: Zen Wizard

Zen Wizard — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:56:20 +0000

I came to this page trying to find out myself.

I like the boxer story the best; it is the most plausible–willing to go to jail for a gangster has merits, also.

The phrase seems to be of ancient origin–where is that William Safire when you need him?

By: Mariana

Mariana — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:05:45 +0000

in the tank means that someone or many people is enthralled with someone or something. nowadays used in politics