non-starter

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See also: nonstarter

English

Etymology

From non- +‎ starter.

Noun

non-starter (plural non-starters)

  1. Someone or something who was listed to start in a race, but did not start in the race.
  2. Something that is destined to fail from the outset; an impractical scheme.
    • 2020 December 2, Industry Insider, “The costs of cutting carbon”, in Rail, page 76:
      Whatever is decided, it is clear that Crossrail 2 must be regarded as a non-starter for the foreseeable future.
  3. (idiomatic) An idea or argument that cannot be sensibly debated.

Translations

See also