leg up, a
Idioms-
The act of assisting someone, giving someone a boost. For example, Studying with Jane, who knows French history well, will give you a leg up for the final exam . This usage alludes to helping a person get on a horse by getting a foot in the stirrup. [First half of 1800s]
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A position of advantage, as in Because of the advertising campaign, we had a leg up on the competition .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A basic biographical question, but also a way of getting at what kind of leg up a guest did or didn’t have.
From Slate • May 7, 2013
Zebo kicked his left leg up a little in his backstride and, well, you've probably seen it by now.
From The Guardian • Feb. 9, 2013
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
