establish a standard or rate that others have to try to achieve
set the pace
establish a standard or rate that others have to try to achieve
set the pace
make strong and steady progress with sg
forge ahead (with sg)
make a careless mistake
slip up
slip-up
it means they are very good and it will be hard for sb else to do better
take some beating
be hard to beat
gradually get closer to people you are competing with
gain ground (on sb)
catch up (with sb)
keep a plan or idea secret until you need it
keep/have sg your sleeve
become more exciting or show an increase in activity
hot up
give a slight advantage to sb
tip the balance (in sb's favour)
be more successful than the others
come out on top
there was a racehorse that nobody knew anything about. Now it refers to a person who other people know very little about, especially one who might achieve sg that you don't expect
a dark horse
two horses that are next to each other. Two people or two teams can be too so.
neck and neck
if the result of sg is ..., it is uncertain
in the balance
make the maximum possible effort
give it your all
a situation is this, that thing is the most important factor
come down to sg/sb
sg that happens which you have wanted for a long time
a dream come true
try as hard as you possibly can in doing sg
give sg your best shot
succeed in doing sg that is difficult
pull sg off
suffer as a result of bad luck, a mistake, or sg you have done
pay the price for (doing) sg
not take any big risks
play (it) safe
thing about a past event
look back (on sg)
it is a situation in which success or failure is equally possible
a close thing
It is when you just manage to avoid a dangerous situation or accident