lame

a. [ Compar. Lamer superl. Lamest. ] [ OE. lame, AS. lama; akin to D. lam, G. lahm, OHG., Dan., & Sw. lam, Icel. lami, Russ. lomate to break, lomota rheumatism. ] 1. (a) Moving with pain or difficulty on account of injury, defect, or temporary obstruction of a function; as, a lame leg, arm, or muscle. (b) To some degree disabled by reason of the imperfect action of a limb; crippled; as, a lame man. “Lame of one leg.” Arbuthnot. “Lame in both his feet.” 2 Sam. ix. 13. “He fell, and became lame.” 2 Sam. iv. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence, hobbling; limping; inefficient; imperfect; as, a lame answer. “A lame endeavor.” Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

O, most lame and impotent conclusion! Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lame duck (a) (Stock Exchange), a person who can not fulfill his contracts. [ Cant ] (b) An elected politician who is completing a term after having been defeated at an election; also, an office holder who cannot or chooses not to run again for the same office; -- So called from the presumed lack of political power of one who is soon to be out of office. (b) Any office holder who is serving out a term after a replacement has been selected. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]