jockey for position

Idioms and Phrases

Maneuver or manipulate for one's own benefit, as in The singers are always jockeying for position on stage . This expression, dating from about 1900, originally meant maneuvering a race horse into a better position for winning. It was transferred to other kinds of manipulation in the mid-1900s.

Related Words

• battle
• challenge
• clash
• contend
• contest
• face
• fight
• play
• spar
• try
• vie
• wrestle