taint

Even a tainted winner gets initial buzz and can change standards for competition.

With the York brand now tainted beyond repair, who they choose to celebrate with may be a sign of who they will align with in future.

“It’s a crisis for a unit when its head is suspected of such serious violations of the law,” he said, adding that the episode shouldn’t “contaminate and taint the entire unit.”

The risk is no data or "tainted data" if memories are seen as less reliable over time, she added.

The contest, pitting Connolly against Heather Humphreys of the centrist Fine Gael party, has also been tainted by calls to spoil ballots over the lack of a right-wing candidate.