go one better

go one better idiom
Outdo or surpass someone, as in He went one better than his teacher and came up with five more famous scientists. This expression originated in gambling games, where it meant “to offer a higher stake than one's opponent.” [Mid-1800s]

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.

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