inside track, the
the inside track
An advantage over someone or something. I hope I have the inside track on the competition, thanks to my extensive student teaching experience.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
*inside track
Fig. an advantage (over someone) gained through special connections, special knowledge, or favoritism. (*Typically: get ~; have ~; give someone ~.) If I could get the inside track, I could win the contract. The boss likes me. Since I've got the inside track, I'll probably be the new office manager.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
inside track, the
A position of special advantage, as in His relationship with Walter put him on the inside track with the company. This metaphoric expression, which alludes to the inner, shorter track of a race course, has been used figuratively since the mid-1800s.
See also: inside
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
inside track, the
A position of special advantage. The term comes from racing, alluding to the inner or shorter track of a course, on which it is easier to win. It originated in America in the mid-nineteenth century. “It gave him the inside track, as the sporting men say, with reference to any rival” (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Guardian Angel, 1867).
See also: inside
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer