Political Battlegrounds, Pumping Money, A Wave Of Ads, Ramping Up Spending

Political Battlegrounds

Elections are not properly fought with muskets and cannon, but figuratively speaking, any area where there is a fierce political campaign, with the final outcome in serious doubt, can be referred to as a political battleground.

(Above: Depiction of the Battle of Gettysburg)

Example: Last week the U.S. Chamber of Commerce pumped more than $10 million into key battlegrounds.

Here, "key" just means crucial, and provides emphasis to the battleground part, indicating that this political advertising went into areas with highly competitive political races where such advertising could alter the final outcome.


Pumping Money
A pump is a device for pushing air, water or other fluids through tubes or pipes. To pump is to perform this pushing. Therefore, to pump money somewhere is to put money into that place for some kind of purpose.

This is easy to demonstrate with an example from politics.

Example: Last week the U.S. Chamber of Commerce pumped more than $10 million (U.S. dollars) into states important for the upcoming mid-term elections.

This is simply giving the reader the (correct) impression that this is a significant amount of money relative to normal levels of political advertising.


A Wave Of Ads

When we figuratively refer to a wave of something, we mean a large series, with one coming after another. Thus, the effect is like a large wave washing ashore, with sustained (but finite) force.

Thus, a wave of advertisements (ads for short) is a series of one advertisement after another.

Example: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has run a wave of ads for the 2010 U.S. mid-term elections, most supporting Republican candidates.


Ramping Up Spending

A ramp is a flat walkway raised to rest at an angle, performing the same function as stairs (but far more suitable for anything wheeled, such as wheelchairs for the disabled).

When raising a level of spending, a graph would show a series of points, one rising after another. If you connect the dots, the resulting image looks like a ramp. Therefore, to ramp up is to increase the level of something measurable, particularly in relation to money or effort.

Example: In spite of recent political controversies and attacks by no less than the President of the Untied States, the U.S. business lobby group called the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has made a defiant statement through its Chairman vowing to "ramp up" political advertising in the final weeks before the Nov. 2 election.

This means the Chamber of Commerce will increase political advertising.

➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary .