the length of the Flemington straight
A long way, a great distance, a large gap, a lot.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The two candidates are separated by the length of the Flemington straight.”
“The quality of these two products differs by the length of the Flemington straight.”
“You are the length of the Flemington straight behind the rest of the runners.”
“The project is nowhere near finished; we are still the length of the Flemington straight from our goal.”
“My current savings are the length of the Flemington straight away from what I actually need to buy a house in this city.”
“After the argument, the couple sat on opposite ends of the sofa, looking the length of the Flemington straight apart.”
“Despite their shared history, the two former friends now hold opinions separated by the length of the Flemington straight.”
The expression refers to Flemington Racecourse in Australia, a venue noted for a home straight measuring 450 metres in length. This particular stretch of track serves as the final focus for the Melbourne Cup, an annual event of sufficient national interest to have fixed the dimensions of the course into the local idiom for extreme distance.
- 01
arm's length
Distant, detached.
- 02
damn straight
Without doubt, certainly, for sure.
- 03
draw a straight furrow
To live correctly or ethically, without deviating from the right line of duty.
- 04
get one's head straight
To clear one's mind; to think clearly.
- 05
get one's priorities straight
Synonym of get one's act together.
- 06
get straight
Synonym of clarify: to make clear, to reach an understanding.
- 07
go straight
To discontinue engaging in criminal acts; to become a law-abiding person.
- 08
go to great lengths
To make a major effort; to be very careful when doing something, especially to an extreme or excessive degree.
Last updated August 10, 2026