leg up, a

leg up, a idiom
  1. The act of assisting someone, giving someone a boost. For example, Studying with Jane, who knows French history well, will give you a leg up for the final exam. This usage alludes to helping a person get on a horse by getting a foot in the stirrup. [First half of 1800s]
  2. A position of advantage, as in Because of the advertising campaign, we had a leg up on the competition.

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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