advantage
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ad·van·tage
(ăd-văn′tĭj)advantage
(ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ)ad•van•tage
(ædˈvæn tɪdʒ, -ˈvɑn-)n., v. -taged, -taging. n.
Advantage
ace in the hole A trump card; something advantageous held in reserve until needed, and especially until needed to turn apparent failure into actual success. In stud poker a hole card is the card dealt face down in the first round. Since an ace is the highest and most valuable card, the player who receives an ace as his hole card has a decided advantage.
beat to the punch To get the drop on, to beat to the draw, to be a step ahead; to gain the advantage through quickness and alertness; to steal someone’s thunder; to win at oneupmanship. Webster’s Third cites W. J. Reilly’s use of this boxing metaphor:
… beats you to the conversational punch by having his say before you have a chance to open your mouth.
catch a weasel asleep To gain an advantage over something due to its inattentiveness. A sleeping animal is an easy target. This expression is an older equivalent of the current to catch someone napping.
catch napping To acquire an advantage over someone through his inattentiveness. A sleeping person or animal is easily taken off guard by another person or predator. As used in the phrase, however, napping does not carry its literal meaning of ‘sleeping.’ It means simply ‘unawares, off guard, inattentive.’
get the drop on To have the advantage over someone; to be in a superior, controlling position, such that one cannot be taken unawares. Most sources cite the following quotation from Alexander K. McClure’s Three Thousand Miles through the Rocky Mountains (1869) as the first use of this colloquial American expression.
So expert is he with his faithful pistol that the most scientific of rogues have repeatedly attempted in vain to “get the drop” on him.
This original use referring exclusively to a fast draw may be related to at the drop of a hat. (See INSTANTANEOUSNESS .) The idea of covering a person with a gun before he can draw his own soon gave rise to the current figurative use.
At any rate, we will not let Arcturus get the drop on the reading public. (Texas Siftings, August, 1888)
get the weather gage of To obtain the advantage over; to get the better of. In the sea battles of bygone days, a ship on the weather gage, or windward, side of an adversary’s vessel would have the advantage of being better able to maneuver into a strategic position. The expression’s principal use still usually concerns war and fighting, although not necessarily of a maritime nature.
He had got the weather gage of them, and for us to run down to them would be to run ourselves into the lion’s mouth. (John Mackey Wilson, Tales of the Borders, 1835-40)
go in with good cards To have reason to expect success; to anticipate triumph. This expression is derived from a card player’s foreknowledge of victory upon being dealt an exemplary hand. The phrase maintains limited use in the United States and Great Britain.
They went in upon far better Cards to overthrow King Henry, than King Henry had to overthrow King Richard. (Francis Bacon, Henry VII, 1622)
have the ball at one’s feet To be in a strategically advantageous position; to be in the driver’s seat. In the British game of football (American soccer), whoever has the ball at his feet has the power to call the shots. This expression can be used in regard to politics, personal relations, or any area in which there are plays for power as one person or group attempts to gain control.
We have the ball at our feet, and if the Government will allow us … the rebellion will be crushed. (W. E. Auckland, Journal and Correspondence, 1788-98)
inside track An advantageous position granting one an edge over others; a favorable status; influence, or the power to secure favors. In racing, the inside track ‘inner side of a curved track’ is the shortest route. By the mid-19th century, this Americanism was used figuratively to refer to any position of advantage.
When a woman knows where she stands, and has the inside track, … the man has no show whatever. (Atherton, Perch of Devil, 1914)
in the catbird seat In an advantageous position or condition; ahead of the game; also sitting in the catbird seat. This U.S. slang expression, dating at least from 1942, was popularized by baseball announcer “Red” Barber during his 1945-55 radio broadcasts of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball games.
keep one jump ahead To advance or increase before someone or something else and thus maintain an advantageous position or superior status. The exact origin of this 20th-century expression is unknown; it may come from the game of checkers in which one player jumps ‘takes possession of’ another player’s checkers—literally advancing one checker in front of another one—in order to win the game.
That would allow the Government to permit wage rises to keep one jump ahead of prices. (Sun, January 6, 1973)
sitting pretty In a favorable situation or condition; at an advantage; successful; well-to-do; well-off, set. This expression has been in use since 1926.
steal a march on To gain an advantage over, to get the jump on, to be a step ahead of. This expression originally had to do with the stealthy movement of troops without the enemy’s knowledge. It still retains connotations of furtiveness or secrecy.
Happening to awake earlier than usual, he stole a march on his nurses, and … walked out and tottered into the jail. (Charles Reade, It Is Never Too Late To Mend, 1856)
advantage
Past participle: advantaged
Gerund: advantaging
| Imperative |
|---|
| advantage |
| advantage |
| Present |
|---|
| I advantage |
| you advantage |
| he/she/it advantages |
| we advantage |
| you advantage |
| they advantage |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I advantaged |
| you advantaged |
| he/she/it advantaged |
| we advantaged |
| you advantaged |
| they advantaged |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am advantaging |
| you are advantaging |
| he/she/it is advantaging |
| we are advantaging |
| you are advantaging |
| they are advantaging |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have advantaged |
| you have advantaged |
| he/she/it has advantaged |
| we have advantaged |
| you have advantaged |
| they have advantaged |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was advantaging |
| you were advantaging |
| he/she/it was advantaging |
| we were advantaging |
| you were advantaging |
| they were advantaging |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had advantaged |
| you had advantaged |
| he/she/it had advantaged |
| we had advantaged |
| you had advantaged |
| they had advantaged |
| Future |
|---|
| I will advantage |
| you will advantage |
| he/she/it will advantage |
| we will advantage |
| you will advantage |
| they will advantage |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have advantaged |
| you will have advantaged |
| he/she/it will have advantaged |
| we will have advantaged |
| you will have advantaged |
| they will have advantaged |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be advantaging |
| you will be advantaging |
| he/she/it will be advantaging |
| we will be advantaging |
| you will be advantaging |
| they will be advantaging |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been advantaging |
| you have been advantaging |
| he/she/it has been advantaging |
| we have been advantaging |
| you have been advantaging |
| they have been advantaging |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been advantaging |
| you will have been advantaging |
| he/she/it will have been advantaging |
| we will have been advantaging |
| you will have been advantaging |
| they will have been advantaging |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been advantaging |
| you had been advantaging |
| he/she/it had been advantaging |
| we had been advantaging |
| you had been advantaging |
| they had been advantaging |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would advantage |
| you would advantage |
| he/she/it would advantage |
| we would advantage |
| you would advantage |
| they would advantage |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have advantaged |
| you would have advantaged |
| he/she/it would have advantaged |
| we would have advantaged |
| you would have advantaged |
| they would have advantaged |
advantage
advantage
benefit difficulty, handicap, curse, disadvantage, drawback, snag, uphill (S. African), inconvenience, downside, hindrance
advantage
nounadvantage
[ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ] Nit's no advantage to play first → el jugar primero no es una ventaja
"languages and shorthand an advantage" (in job advert) → "serán méritos or se valorarán idiomas y taquigrafía"
to have an advantage over sb → llevar ventaja a algn
I'm sorry, you have the advantage of me (fig) → lo siento, pero no recuerdo su nombre
to have an advantage in numbers → llevar ventaja en cuanto al número
he has the advantage of youth → tiene la ventaja de ser joven
the plan has many advantages → el proyecto tiene muchas ventajas
to show sth off to best advantage → hacer que algo se vea bajo la luz más favorable
to take advantage of sb (unfairly) → aprovecharse de algn, sacar partido de algn; (sexually) → abusar de algn
to take advantage of an opportunity → aprovechar una oportunidad
it's to our advantage → es ventajoso para nosotros
to turn sth to (one's) advantage → sacar buen partido de algo
advantage
[ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ] nGoing to university has many advantages → Aller à l'université présente de nombreux avantages.
to take advantage of sth [+ weather, opportunity] → profiter de qch
He took advantage of the good weather to go for a walk → Il a profité du beau temps pour faire une promenade.
it's to our advantage → c'est dans notre intérêt
it's to our advantage to do ... → nous avons intérêt à faire ...
to use sth to one's advantage, to turn sth to one's advantage → tirer parti de qch
to have the advantage of being sth → avoir l'avantage d'être qch
She has the advantage of being the younger player → Elle a l'avantage d'être la plus jeune des deux joueuses.
to have the advantage of doing sth → avoir l'avantage de faire qch
to have an advantage over sb → avoir un avantage sur qn
the advantage of X over Y → l'avantage de X sur Y
The company was taking advantage of its employees → La société exploitait ses employés.
advantage
advantage
[ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ] n (gen) (Tennis) → vantaggioshe has the advantage of youth → ha il vantaggio di essere giovane
the plan has many advantages → il progetto presenta molti vantaggi
it's to our advantage → è nel nostro interesse, torna a nostro vantaggio
to have an advantage over sb → avere un vantaggio su qn
to take advantage of (opportunity) → approfittare di, sfruttare
to take advantage of sb (unfairly, sexually) → approfittare or approfittarsi di qn