steal a march on

Idioms  

1. Gain an advantage over unexpectedly or secretly, as in Macy's stole a march on their rival department store with their Thanksgiving Day parade. This metaphoric expression comes from medieval warfare, where a march was the distance an army could travel in a day. By quietly marching at night, a force could surprise and overtake the enemy at daybreak. Its figurative use dates from the second half of the 1700s.

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Example Sentences

With so much empty space concentrated in the center of Nottingham, he sees an unrivaled opportunity for the city to steal a march on rivals coping with the decline of central malls and main streets.

From New York Times • May 18, 2021

“Perhaps Airbus can steal a march on Boeing while Boeing is preoccupied,” said Sandy Morris, a research analyst at Jefferies International.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 28, 2020

This dynamic has already helped Tesla and China’s Nio steal a march on much larger rivals in the premium electric sportscar segment.

From Reuters • Apr. 15, 2019

On March 1st, Randall Woodfin, Birmingham’s young Democratic mayor, tried to steal a march on Atlanta.

From Economist • Mar. 8, 2018

He thought that he would steal a march on his famous cousin.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White