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You are here: Home / Language / How Did the Expression “A Leg Up” Originate When Someone Has an Advantage and What Does it Mean?

How Did the Expression “A Leg Up” Originate When Someone Has an Advantage and What Does it Mean?

March 3, 2020 by Karen Hill

If you have “a leg up” on your competition then you’re ahead of the game because you’ve received a boost.

The expression comes from the equestrian world.

When a rider needs help mounting a large horse, he might ask someone for a leg up.

That someone will then create a foothold by cupping both hands so that the rider can use this to step up and get into a position to get his leg up and over the horse’s back.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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