unloaded
abortion
abortive attempt
also-ran
aspirant
baby kisser
bankrupt
blank cartridge
bogy
bomb
bugaboo
bugbear
bust
candidate
castrato
cipher
cry of wolf
dark horse
defeated candidate
dummy
eunuch
failure
false alarm
favorite son
flop
gelding
hollow man
hopeful
impotent
incompetent
invalid
jackstraw
lame duck
lay figure
lemon
loser
man of straw
merry chase
miscarriage
miscarrying
misfire
nebbish
nobody
nonentity
nothing
nullity
office seeker
political hopeful
presidential timber
puppet
pushover
breakdown
equipment failure
fizzle
nonstarter
unsuccessful person
antitank
unexploded
Blood
Bud
Flood
Judd
Rudd
blood
bud
crud
flood
hud
mud
mudd
rud
rudd
scud
spud
stud
sudd
thud