1.
If someone describes a town as a ~ town, they mean it is very small, dull, and old-fashioned.
Would you want to live in a small, ~ town for your whole life?
ADJ: ADJ n disapproval
2.
If a contest is described as a ~ race, it is thought that one person or thing will obviously win it.
He described the referendum as a ~ race...
ADJ: ADJ n