flying start
1
3.7
- noun
- Informal
:
comienzo fulgurante
- As you can see, we've made a flying start here with our modest dispensary.
Examples
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The Elis have gotten off to a flying start this season, and Saturday's performance provided another example of the Yale golfers' skill.
Blog text (13) -
Well, I'm off to a flying start.
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A promotional opportunity has just come up, and I thought it would be a perfect way to get our relationship off to a flying start.
Fiction book (2000) -
You're getting off to a flying start.
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They're off to a flying start.
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The team got off to a flying start in the competition, winning their first three matches.
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With her extensive experience, she had a flying start to her new job, impressing everyone on her first day.
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Their project was off to a flying start thanks to the generous support from local businesses.
Synonyms
82
2.5
An advantage from starting earlier than others that helps you succeed
A runner who moves at full speed before the race line
Antonyms
How Good
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a very good or fast beginning' is directly and transparently derivable from combining 'flying' (very fast/swift) with 'start' (beginning); a B1 learner who knows both words can infer a rapid or advantageous beginning. The metaphorical use of 'flying' to mean 'very fast' is common and cross-linguistically recognizable, so the expression is predictable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
The phrase flying start may come from relay races, where the next runner begins running before they get the baton and so seems to fly into the start. The words flying and start give the picture of moving fast at the very beginning, so flying start means 'a very good or fast beginning that gives an advantage'.