ringside seat

Idioms and Phrases

A place providing a close view of something, as in We lived right next door, so we had ringside seats for their quarrels . This term presumably came from boxing, where it denotes the seats just outside the boxing ring. [c. 1860]

Example Sentences

His account of a major boxing contest is the next best thing to having a ringside seat.

From Project Gutenberg

As nearly as he could tell from the firing, it was two against one and he voted himself a ringside seat.

From Project Gutenberg

There was a great deal of wisecracking about Al Devis buying himself a ringside seat for the fire he'd started.

From Project Gutenberg