a leg-up


an advantage

TRANSLATION

(to have) a leg-up = einen Vorteil, einen Vorsprung haben --- GOOGLE INDEX (to have) a leg-up: approximately 6,000,000 Google hits

STATISTICS

IN THE PRESS

Giving Your Product a LEG-UP

(BusinessWeek Magazine)

---
Technology in Britain is giving police a LEG-UP in fighting crime.

(CNN)

Did you
know?

(to have, to give) a leg-up
idiom

- a position of advantage; an edge

(American Heritage Dictionary)

---
To have leg-up is to obtain a competitive advantage, an expression that stems from foot racing where getting a leg-up at the start of a race provides an edge. It can also be used in the sense of getting a head start. In addition to combining leg-up with the verb "to have," among others it can also be used with "get" (He got a leg-up on the competition) and "give" (His experience gives him a leg-up)

Racing has enhanced the English language with a wide range of idioms. Below are several examples.

— jump the gun = to begin something too soon. A runner who begins a race before the official fires his gun is said to "jump the gun." (Don't jump the gun and judge the report before reading it)

— to have the inside track = to have information or a position that provides a competitive advantage. In racing, the inside lane of the track is shorter than the outer lanes. (She has the inside track on the sales manager job)

- from scratch = from the beginning. Before race tracks were built, a line was "scratched" into the ground or dirt to mark the starting point. (I suggest we start the project from scratch to make sure it's done right)

— pass the baton = to continue a task or hand-over responsibility. In relay races, teams carry a so-called baton that must be passed from one runner to the next. (Before he retired, the CEO passed the baton to his son)

— off to a running start = to get a good start on something. (The project got off to a running start)

— in the homestretch = in the final stages of a process or event. In horse racing, the final part of the track between the final turn and the finish line is called the homestretch or sometimes simply "the stretch." (We've been working on the project for nearly one year, but we're in the homestretch now)

---
SYNONYMS

advantage, edge, lead, leverage, upper-hand

---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation

"Thanks Jim, your new research data gives my presentation a real leg-up."

More Word Quizzes:

whinge

6 years ago

to celebrate

SORRY,
please try again...

to complain

Congrats Your Answer is Correct.

to sleep

SORRY,
please try again...

recalcitrant

7 years ago

to be bad at arithmetic and mental calculations

SORRY,
please try again...

to be motivated to keep going and not to give up

SORRY,
please try again...

to be unwilling to obey orders or follow discipline

Congrats Your Answer is Correct.

pander

7 years ago

to promote

SORRY,
please try again...

to please

Congrats Your Answer is Correct.

to punish

SORRY,
please try again...

old boy network

7 years ago

a powerful network of people in high places

Congrats Your Answer is Correct.

the surviving veterans of World War II

SORRY,
please try again...

a social media chat group of people over 60

SORRY,
please try again...

on tenterhooks

7 years ago

a feeling of love (Liebe)

SORRY,
please try again...

a feeling of guilt (Schuld)

SORRY,
please try again...

a feeling of anxiety (Besorgnis)

Congrats Your Answer is Correct.

Copyright © 2000-2023 PSA - All Rights Reserved