'landslide' originates from the combination of 'land' and 'slide', where 'land' refers to the earth and 'slide' means to move smoothly along a surface.

'landslide' has been used in English since the early 19th century to describe both geological events and metaphorical overwhelming victories.

Initially, it meant 'a sliding mass of earth', but it evolved to also mean 'an overwhelming victory' in elections.