He got the promotion, but now he is like a dog that caught the car.
dog that caught the car
idiomA person who has unexpectedly attained an aspirational goal and is now unsure what to do with it.
Origin
disputed originFrom the instinctual urge of dogs to chase cars, most of which are traveling far and fast enough that they are never within reach.
After winning the election, the candidate felt like a dog that caught the car, realizing he had no plan for governing.
Having finally acquired the massive corporation he spent decades chasing, the executive felt like a dog that caught the car, paralyzed by the sudden weight of his own ambition.
- 01
buy a dog and bark oneself
To do something that one has hired someone else to do.
- 02
cat and dog life
An unhappy married life marked by arguments and disagreements.
- 03
caught short
unprepared or without enough of something when it is needed
- 04
caught up
Involuntarily involved in a situation.
- 05
caught with one's pants down
Caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation.
- 06
dog and cat
A team comprising one male and one female, either working as associates or having one as the second-in-command to the other.
- 07
dog and pony show
Any presentation or display that is overly contrived or intricate, while lacking real substance.
- 08
dog around
To follow diligently.