jockey for position
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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.
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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Words nearby jockey for position
jock, jockey, jockey box, jockey cap, jockey club, jockey for position, Jockey shorts, jock itch, jocko, Jock Scot, jockstrap
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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