staying power

staying power idiom
The ability to endure or last, as in I'm not sure that this young novelist will have staying power, or Our candidate definitely has staying power. This expression comes from racing, where it means “the strength to maintain speed through a race.” [Second half of 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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