Hand-In Cap

Good "acceptances" news, as posted on the front page. That's twelve acceptances since I revamped myself for 2013... it's also thirty-six rejections, a less publicized record. Still, that's a cool ratio.  Speaking of ratios, I woke up with horse-racing on my mind and went looking around for metaphor words and other fine phrases--found some lovely ones like "statistics speculation," "coming off a layoff," "front runners versus stalkers," "heading for the inside rail" so I'm feeling a poem brewing. I also discovered that the term "handicap" comes from a wagering, bartering game having to do with competitors putting their cash in a "hand-in" cap and a referee who then equalized the bets.  The notion that "handicapped" people in the old days were forced to be beggars and have "caps in hand" is completely false (see Snopes for more). To "handicap" a person, in the original metaphor, meant to give them a more equalized chance of success.  I like it. Do you?