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Glite Dictionary
on a losing wicket

on a losing wicket

9.9
In a situation where you are unlikely to win
  • idiom
  • Jargon
translation icon : en desventaja
  • After his business partner left, he realized he was on a losing wicket in trying to save the company.

Examples

  • She knew she was on a losing wicket when everyone disagreed with her plan.

  • Trying to convince them now is like being on a losing wicket.

  • After his business partner left, he realized he was on a losing wicket.

  • You're on a losing wicket!

  • He's really on a losing wicket trying to convince her.

  • She felt she was on a losing wicket when everyone around her opposed her proposal.

  • Trying to argue against their objections felt like being on a losing wicket from the start.

Synonyms

on the ropes
vson a losing wicket
  • Informal
15 7.7

Very close to failure or defeat with little chance to recover

is a disadvantageous situation where success is unlikely
behind the eight-ball
vson a losing wicket
  • Informal
3 9.6

In a difficult situation with little chance to make things better

is a disadvantage where success is unlikely rather than only hard to escape
off the back foot
vson a losing wicket
  • Informal
8.6

In a weak position after a problem or unexpected event

is a broader unlikely success situation rather than just defensive

How Disadvantaged

doomed
7 4.9
on a losing wicket
  • Jargon
9.9

Surface Forms

on a losing wicket positive

Morphology

on + a + lose + wicket

This phrase is a cricket-derived idiom: knowing 'on' and 'losing' does not let a B1 learner infer that 'on a losing wicket' means 'at a disadvantage' because 'wicket' is a technical/sports term and the figurative sense depends on cultural knowledge of cricket. The meaning is therefore idiomatic and not compositionally derivable from the constituents, so learners unfamiliar with the sport will not predict the sense.

Etymology

The phrase on a losing wicket comes from cricket. A wicket is the small set of wooden sticks a batter must protect, and when it is being knocked down the player is in trouble, so the phrase means 'in a weak position' or 'unlikely to succeed'.