give someone a leg up
Meaning: To help someone make progress or get started.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “An internship gave her a leg up in the film industry.”
Category: Animals
Origin: Literally to help a rider mount a horse by lifting their leg. The figurative sense is recorded from the 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Mettre le pied à l'étrier à quelqu'un — literally: To put someone's foot in the stirrup
More idioms — Animals
- earn one's spurs — To prove one's ability and gain recognition.
- have the inside track — To have an advantage over others.
- a horn of plenty — An abundant source of something.
- hands down — Easily; without question.
- a little bird told me — I learned it from a secret source I won't name.
- snug as a bug in a rug — Very warm and comfortable.
More English idioms
- there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip — Many things can go wrong before a plan succeeds.
- born with a silver spoon in one's mouth — Born into a wealthy, privileged family.
- penny wise and pound foolish — Careful with small amounts of money but wasteful with large ones.
- meet someone halfway — To make a compromise with someone.
- have a free hand — To have freedom to act as one sees fit.
- wear sackcloth and ashes — To show public regret or repentance.
From our tongue twisters
- Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. — A relentless 'p' plosive drill; a peck is an old dry measure of about nine litres.
- Unique New York. — Three words that jam the 'y/n/k' sequence together — repeat it and it collapses into 'you…
- Pad kid poured curd pulled cod. — Alternating repetition — the consonants swap at the start of every other word, which is w…