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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