Throw under the bus

Sportscasters, political pundits and social media propagators have become enamored with reporting about people thrown under buses. No physical violence has actually been perpetrated, of course. The phrase is only used metaphorically. But how did it start—and when will it end?

Merriam Webster’s website suggests an innocent enough British pre-origin in 1971 when Harold Wilson was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

With tongue in cheek, Hugh MacPherson wrote in “The Spectator,” “There is an amusing little parlour game much favoured by politicians. It is called “Let’s kill the Leader,” and, whe...