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flying start

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noun

a start, as in sailboat racing, in which the entrants begin moving before reaching the starting line.
a start or beginning of anything, characterized by the participant's vigor and enthusiasm and sometimes by a certain advantage over competitors: She's off to a flying start in her new job.

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Nearby words

  1. flying picket,
  2. flying saucer,
  3. flying shear,
  4. flying squad,
  5. flying squirrel,
  6. flying tackle,
  7. flying tigers,
  8. flying wedge,
  9. flying wing,
  10. flying-spot

Origin of flying start

First recorded in 1850–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for flying start

flying start

noun

Also called (informal): flyer (in sprinting) a start by a competitor anticipating the starting signal
a start to a race or time trial in which the competitor is already travelling at speed as he passes the starting line
any promising beginning
an initial advantage over others
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with flying start

flying start

see under get off the ground.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.