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Difficulty: Very hardIdioms and Idiomatic Expressions

Complete the sentence below by providing the appropriate idiomatic expression in the blank.

Answer:By quietly securing the international patent rights before any competitor was aware of the breakthrough, the technology firm managed to 【steal a march on】 the entire industry.

Answer

The correct idiomatic expression to complete the sentence is 'steal a march on' (or 'steal a march upon').
The idiomatic expression 'steal a march on' means to gain an advantage over someone by acting secretly or earlier than anticipated. In the context of quietly securing patent rights before rivals are even aware, this phrase provides the exact figurative meaning required.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the contextual clues in the sentence
The sentence describes an entity acting secretly and ahead of time to gain an unfair or strategic advantage over rivals.
Contextual analysis requires identifying the precise figurative action being described.
2
Select the standard English idiomatic expression that denotes gaining a secret head start
The idiom 'steal a march on' specifically means to gain an advantage over a competitor, especially by acting secretly or earlier than expected.
The origin of the idiom stems from military tactics where one army marches quietly during the night to gain a positional advantage before the enemy realizes.

Key Concept

Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions

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