get the drop on

Idioms  

1. Also,. Achieve a distinct advantage over someone, especially through early or quick action; get a head start. For example, Their book on electronic communication has the drop on all the others, or We really got the jump on the competition. The first of these slangy expressions dates from the mid-1800s and originally alluded to pointing one's gun at someone before he pointed his at you. It was transferred to more general use by about 1900. The second, which uses jump in the sense of “start,” dates from about 1900.

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Example Sentences

Tom tries to trap Robbie, only for Robbie to get the drop on him.

From Salon • Oct. 6, 2025

The FHD display has a 300Hz refresh rate, better than you’d see on most desktop gaming monitors, allowing for sharp reaction times and virtually no lag, letting you get the drop on your enemy.

From The Verge • Sep. 16, 2021

“Everybody was on the edge of their seat: ‘So this is how we can learn to get the drop on little Billy for writing graffiti on the underside of the lunchroom table,’” she said.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 25, 2016

There's no cheaper way to get the drop on a bad guy than to borrow his hymns and habits and make them your own.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2016

How had I let Elliot get the drop on me like that?

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin