Lesson 9 To Get The Jump On Something

 

Idiom: To get the jump on something = to start something early (with the hope that you                                                                                                  will finish early)

e.g.      My essay isn't due for three weeks, but I am going to get the jump on it this                                      weekend.

            I got the jump on my homework before dinner so I could watch TV later.

Usefulness factor 6/10  This idiom is useful for talking about work, assignments and tasks.  It can be used to give instructions to people and used to talk about your own ambitions for completing the work.

You will most likely hear it in movies and TV when someone is talking about school assignments or work assignments.

 

Idiom: To get the jump on someone = to gain an advantage over someone

 

e.g.      We both wanted to read the book, but I got the jump on him and took it out of the                                        library first.

            Because I know the manager, I got the jump on Tom and got the job.

           

Usefulness factor 4/10 This idiom is useful when speaking about competing or fighting with another person.  Because there are so many other expressions and idioms that can be used this one isn't as useful.

You will likely hear this in movies and TV when people are competing intensely for something like jobs, concert tickets, and even in soap operas where two people are competing for the love of one person.....just not that often.