Tricky Words in this week's OVI

The recent AmCham Board of Directors elections, and the upcoming general elections to the National Council of the Slovak Republic, provide a topical reason for reviewing typical election vocabulary. Elections (voľby) are held at regular intervals (periods of government, or periods of office - funkčné obdobia). Candidates stand (kandidujú) in the elections, hoping to be elected (zvolení). The voters (voliči), collectively known as the electorate, go to polling stations (volebné miestnosti) to vote (hlasovať). They vote for (volia) their preferred candidates, or political party (strana), by marking their ballot paper (volebný lístok). Voters' preferences are the focus of pre-election polls (say /poulz/ - prieskumy), which can influence the election campaign (say /kampejn/ - kampaň). This may turn dirty, with candidates trying to "smear" (špiniť) each other, an activity also called "mud-slinging". A ballot paper featuring generally-preferred candidates is called a "dream ticket".

Andy's Wordshop

This week's question is about the meaning of the expression "Way to go!" It means "Well done!" or "Good work!" My feeling is that it's more common in American than in British English - in fact I was glad to get this question, because it helped me to clarify the meaning for myself. My research suggests that "Way to go" started as athlete's slang, the appreciation of someone else's success in the sense of "That's the right way to go on". Now I'd say it's generally a colloquial (hovorové) expression of approval - but it can easily be used sarcastically, as in the Simpsons Movie when Lisa says "Oh, way to go, Bart!", thinking that he has broken wind again. So it's not "Máš pred sebou ešte dlhú cestu", but it really means "Dobrá práca".