ENGLISH
REFERENCE

be left at the post

idiom
Meaning

To be beaten from the beginning of a competition or race.


Examples
SIMPLE

Our team was left at the post in the first race.

CONTEXTUAL

Because they failed to prepare for the new market, the company was left at the post by its competitors.

COMPLEX

Despite their ambitious marketing campaign, the startup was left at the post by established firms that had already secured the majority of the market share.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    be left holding the baby

    To be left with the responsibility of resolving a problem.

  2. 02

    dumb as a post

    Utterly mute; lacking the ability to speak.

  3. 03

    Elvis has left the building

    A phrase used to announce the end of a show, usually one performed by an Elvis impersonator.

  4. 04

    exit stage left

    An orderly and uneventful departure, timed so as not to detract or distract.

  5. 05

    far post

    The goalpost furthest from where a cross is made.

  6. 06

    from pillar to post

    From one place, place, or thing to another, hither and thither.

  7. 07

    go left

    To take a turn for the worse, to go horribly wrong.

  8. 08

    has left the building

    Something is gone and never coming back.

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