ad·van·tage ( d-vn t j)n. 1. A beneficial factor or combination of factors. 2. Benefit or profit; gain: It is to your advantage to invest wisely. 3. A relatively favorable position; superiority of means: A better education gave us the advantage. 4. Sports a. The first point scored in tennis after deuce. b. The resulting score. tr.v. ad·van·taged, ad·van·tag·ing, ad·van·tag·es Idioms: To afford profit or gain to; benefit. take advantage of 1. To put to good use; avail oneself of: take advantage of all educational opportunities. 2. To profit selfishly by; exploit: took advantage of the customer. to advantage To good effect; favorably: The roses were displayed to advantage in a blue vase. [Middle English avantage, from Old French, from avant, before, from Latin abante, from before; see advance.] |
advantage [ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ]
Advantage
ace in the hole A trump card; something advantageous held in reserve until needed, and especially until needed to turn apparent failure into actual success. In stud poker a hole card is the card dealt face down in the first round. Since an ace is the highest and most valuable card, the player who receives an ace as his hole card has a decided advantage.
beat to the punch To get the drop on, to beat to the draw, to be a step ahead; to gain the advantage through quickness and alertness; to steal someone’s thunder; to win at oneupmanship. Webster’s Third cites W. J. Reilly’s use of this boxing metaphor:
… beats you to the conversational punch by having his say before you have a chance to open your mouth.
catch a weasel asleep To gain an advantage over something due to its inattentiveness. A sleeping animal is an easy target. This expression is an older equivalent of the current to catch someone napping.
catch napping To acquire an advantage over someone through his inattentiveness. A sleeping person or animal is easily taken off guard by another person or predator. As used in the phrase, however, napping does not carry its literal meaning of ‘sleeping.’ It means simply ‘unawares, off guard, inattentive.’
get the drop on To have the advantage over someone; to be in a superior, controlling position, such that one cannot be taken unawares. Most sources cite the following quotation from Alexander K. McClure’s Three Thousand Miles through the Rocky Mountains (1869) as the first use of this colloquial American expression.
So expert is he with his faithful pistol that the most scientific of rogues have repeatedly attempted in vain to “get the drop” on him.
This original use referring exclusively to a fast draw may be related to at the drop of a hat. (See INSTANTANEOUSNESS.) The idea of covering a person with a gun before he can draw his own soon gave rise to the current figurative use.
At any rate, we will not let Arcturus get the drop on the reading public. (Texas Siftings, August, 1888)
get the weather gage of To obtain the advantage over; to get the better of. In the sea battles of bygone days, a ship on the weather gage, or windward, side of an adversary’s vessel would have the advantage of being better able to maneuver into a strategic position. The expression’s principal use still usually concerns war and fighting, although not necessarily of a maritime nature.
He had got the weather gage of them, and for us to run down to them would be to run ourselves into the lion’s mouth. (John Mackey Wilson, Tales of the Borders, 1835-40)
go in with good cards To have reason to expect success; to anticipate triumph. This expression is derived from a card player’s foreknowledge of victory upon being dealt an exemplary hand. The phrase maintains limited use in the United States and Great Britain.
They went in upon far better Cards to overthrow King Henry, than King Henry had to overthrow King Richard. (Francis Bacon, Henry VII, 1622)
have the ball at one’s feet To be in a strategically advantageous position; to be in the driver’s seat. In the British game of football (American soccer), whoever has the ball at his feet has the power to call the shots. This expression can be used in regard to politics, personal relations, or any area in which there are plays for power as one person or group attempts to gain control.
We have the ball at our feet, and if the Government will allow us … the rebellion will be crushed. (W. E. Auckland, Journal and Correspondence, 1788-98)
inside track An advantageous position granting one an edge over others; a favorable status; influence, or the power to secure favors. In racing, the inside track ‘inner side of a curved track’ is the shortest route. By the mid-19th century, this Americanism was used figuratively to refer to any position of advantage.
When a woman knows where she stands, and has the inside track, … the man has no show whatever. (Atherton, Perch of Devil, 1914)
in the catbird seat In an advantageous position or condition; ahead of the game; also sitting in the catbird seat. This U.S. slang expression, dating at least from 1942, was popularized by baseball announcer “Red” Barber during his 1945-55 radio broadcasts of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball games.
keep one jump ahead To advance or increase before someone or something else and thus maintain an advantageous position or superior status. The exact origin of this 20th-century expression is unknown; it may come from the game of checkers in which one player jumps ‘takes possession of’ another player’s checkers—literally advancing one checker in front of another one—in order to win the game.
That would allow the Government to permit wage rises to keep one jump ahead of prices. (Sun, January 6, 1973)
sitting pretty In a favorable situation or condition; at an advantage; successful; well-to-do; well-off, set. This expression has been in use since 1926.
steal a march on To gain an advantage over, to get the jump on, to be a step ahead of. This expression originally had to do with the stealthy movement of troops without the enemy’s knowledge. It still retains connotations of furtiveness or secrecy.
Happening to awake earlier than usual, he stole a march on his nurses, and … walked out and tottered into the jail. (Charles Reade, It Is Never Too Late To Mend, 1856)
| Noun | 1. | advantage - the quality of having a superior or more favorable position; "the experience gave him the advantage over me" leverage - strategic advantage; power to act effectively; "relatively small groups can sometimes exert immense political leverage" handicap - advantage given to a competitor to equalize chances of winning homecourt advantage - the advantage of playing on your home court in front of fans who are rooting for you lead - an advantage held by a competitor in a race; "he took the lead at the last turn" head start, start - the advantage gained by beginning early (as in a race); "with an hour's start he will be hard to catch" preference - grant of favor or advantage to one over another (especially to a country or countries in matters of international trade, such as levying duties) privilege - a special advantage or immunity or benefit not enjoyed by all expedience, expediency - the quality of being suited to the end in view favorable position, favourable position, superiority - the quality of being at a competitive advantage good - benefit; "for your own good"; "what's the good of worrying?" advantageousness, favorableness, favourableness, profitableness, positiveness, positivity - the quality of being encouraging or promising of a successful outcome tax advantage - an advantage bestowed by legislation that reduces a tax on some preferred activity disadvantage - the quality of having an inferior or less favorable position |
| 2. |  advantage - (tennis) first point scored after deucelawn tennis, tennis - a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court point - the unit of counting in scoring a game or contest; "he scored 20 points in the first half"; "a touchdown counts 6 points" | |
| 3. | advantage - benefit resulting from some event or action; "it turned out to my advantage"; "reaping the rewards of generosity" | |
| Verb | 1. |  advantage - give an advantage to; "This system advantages the rich"disadvantage, disfavor, disfavour - put at a disadvantage; hinder, harm; "This rule clearly disadvantages me" |
advantage
benefit difficulty, handicap, curse, disadvantage, drawback, snag, uphill (S. African), inconvenience, downside, hindrance
it's no advantage to play first → el jugar primero no es una ventaja
"languages and shorthand an advantage" (in job advert) → "serán méritos or se valorarán idiomas y taquigrafía"
to have an advantage over sb → llevar ventaja a algn
I'm sorry, you have the advantage of me (fig) → lo siento, pero no recuerdo su nombre
to have an advantage in numbers → llevar ventaja en cuanto al número
he has the advantage of youth → tiene la ventaja de ser joven
the plan has many advantages → el proyecto tiene muchas ventajas
to show sth off to best advantage → hacer que algo se vea bajo la luz más favorable
to take advantage of sb (unfairly) → aprovecharse de algn, sacar partido de algn; (sexually) → abusar de algn
to take advantage of an opportunity → aprovechar una oportunidad
it's to our advantage → es ventajoso para nosotros
to turn sth to (one's) advantage → sacar buen partido de algo
Going to university has many advantages → Aller à l'université présente de nombreux avantages.
to take advantage of sth [+ weather, opportunity] → profiter de qch
He took advantage of the good weather to go for a walk → Il a profité du beau temps pour faire une promenade.
it's to our advantage → c'est dans notre intérêt
it's to our advantage to do ... → nous avons intérêt à faire ...
to use sth to one's advantage, to turn sth to one's advantage → tirer parti de qch
to have the advantage of being sth → avoir l'avantage d'être qch
She has the advantage of being the younger player → Elle a l'avantage d'être la plus jeune des deux joueuses.
to have the advantage of doing sth → avoir l'avantage de faire qch
to have an advantage over sb → avoir un avantage sur qn
the advantage of X over Y → l'avantage de X sur Y
The company was taking advantage of its employees → La société exploitait ses employés.
she has the advantage of youth → ha il vantaggio di essere giovane
the plan has many advantages → il progetto presenta molti vantaggi
it's to our advantage → è nel nostro interesse, torna a nostro vantaggio
to have an advantage over sb → avere un vantaggio su qn
to take advantage of (opportunity) → approfittare di, sfruttare
to take advantage of sb (unfairly, sexually) → approfittare or approfittarsi di qn
advantage → ميزة výhoda fordel Vorteil πλεονέκτημα ventaja etu avantage prednost vantaggio 有利 이점 voordeel fordel przewaga vantagem преимущество fördel ความได้เปรียบ üstünlük lợi thế 优势
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