What it means
Means getting to begin before everyone else, so you're already ahead while the rest are still sorting themselves out. It can be earned by graft and planning, or handed to you as a handicap in a race. The phrase comes from racing, where one runner or horse literally starts a length in front. Handy, unfair, or both.
Usage examples
"We got a head start by rocking up early to the venue, now we're right at the front and everyone else is still queuing round the block."
"Revising over the holidays gave her a real head start, she breezed through the first month while everyone else scrambled."
"His mum stuck him in swimming lessons at like four, so he had a proper head start when school team trials came round."
"Let's leave now and get a head start on the traffic, yeah? I can't be doing with sitting on the motorway for three hours."
"If we prep the slides tonight, we'll have a head start tomorrow and won't be flapping five minutes before the meeting."
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Where it comes from
It comes straight out of racing. A runner or horse given space in front had a literal head start, meaning they were already ahead before the others even got moving. English kept that image and stretched it into everyday life for any early advantage, whether you earned it or got handed one.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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