In contrast, the less able, the backbench players, tend to stick around, and if they're in a position of power, they are also inclined to hire and promote other also-rans or, worse, people incapable of even finishing the race.

Coordinate term: personal computer

The recent developments at work caught them short.

Rather was it the heart's desire to carry into my Arcadian exile the familiar faces and brief life sketches of staunch friends and pleasing acquaintances, and to leave in return a little volume that those who knew me best and with whom I have passed sunshineful hours may be occasionally reminded from their library book shelves that I once had a place in their associations, their thoughts, and possibly in their esteem.