steal a march

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steal a march (third-person singular simple present steals a march, present participle stealing a march, simple past stole a march, past participle stolen a march)

1. (intransitive, idiomatic) To gain an advantage unobserved.
   • 1759 Aug. 1, Horace Walpole, Letter to Sir Horace Mann (Google books):

     Fifty thousand men cannot easily steal a march over the sea.

   • 1771, Tobias Smollett, The Expedition of Humphry Clinker, Letter to Sir Watkin Phillips, May 6 (Google books)

     She yesterday wanted to steal a march of poor Liddy.

   • 1883, George MacDonald, Donal Grant, ch. 67:

     He enjoyed the idea of stealing a march on society, and seeing the sons he had left at such a disadvantage behind him, ruffling it, in spite of absurd law, with the foolish best.

2. (intransitive, idiomatic) To start early.

   They stole a march by taking non-merchandise inventory on January 2.

   • 1905, Jack London, "All Gold Canyon":

     In the morning he stole a march on the sun, for he had finished breakfast when its first rays caught him.

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