Upset

An upset occurs in a competition, frequently in electoral politics or sports, when the party popularly expected to win (the favorite), is defeated by an underdog whom the majority expects to lose, defying the conventional wisdom. The underdog then becomes a giant-killer.

The meaning of the word has sometimes been erroneously attributed to the surprising defeat of the horse Man o' War by the horse Upset (the loss was the only one in Man o' War's career); the term pre-dates that 1919 race by at least several decades. In its sports coverage immediately following Upset's victory, the Washington Post wrote, "One might make all sorts of puns about it being an upset."

Origin

In 2002, George Thompson, a lexicographic researcher, used the full-text online search capabilities of the New York Times databases to trace the usage of the verb to upset and the noun upset. The latter was seen in usage as early as 1877. Thompson's research debunked one popular theory of the term's origin, namely that it was first used after the Thoroughbred racehorse Upset became the only horse to defeat Man o' War in 1919.

Upset (horse)

Upset was notable as the only horse to have ever defeated Man o' War. Man o' War, who won 20 of his 21 starts, faced Upset in the Sanford Memorial at Saratoga Race Course on August 13, 1919. Losing by a nose, Man o' War was, nonetheless, considered the best horse in the race, as he had been fractious at the starting line, left last and was three to four lengths behind the field. He also carried 15 pounds more than Upset. Post-race analysis was that he would have won the race had it been 20 feet (6.1 m) longer. The loss snapped a six-race winning streak by Man o' War.

Upset was owned by Harry Payne Whitney. The two horses met six more times, including in the 1920 Preakness Stakes, with Man o' War victorious every time.

While it is widely believed that the term "upset", referring to a surprising loss, originated with this horse, that is not the case. The use of the word in horse racing dates to at least 1877, and the meaning "to overturn" or "overthrow" appears to be even older.

Upset (band)

Upset are an American band formed in 2013. The band originally consisted of Ali Koehler on guitar and lead vocals, Jenn Prince on lead guitar and vocals, and Patty Schemel on drums. After the recording and release of their debut album She's Gone, Prince departed the band to work on other projects, with Lauren Freeman joining the band on lead guitar and Rachel Gagliardi on bass and vocals. Koehler is the former drummer of the bands Best Coast and Vivian Girls. Schemel rose to prominence as the drummer of Hole and currently also drums for the band Death Valley Girls. The band released their debut album on Don Giovanni Records on October 29, 2013.

Discography

Full Length Records

External links

References