IDIOMS ABOUT SUCCESS

TO BE A TOP DOG – to be a person or organization with the most power and authority among other people or organizations (1)

LANDSLIDE VICTORY – to win in elections with a huge margin (2)

“Do you know who Big Pit is?”

“Sure thing. He is a top dog (1) in the criminal world. Even some of the governmental cogs lick Big Pit's boots, hoping he’ll help them get a landslide victory (2) and take the majority of seats in the parliament”

TO COME (MOVE) UP IN THE WORLD – to reach a higher social status or become richer than you were before

“Wow, you’re well informed”

“Not so well. Just basic info. So, cut to the chase! What’s up with him?”

“I just happened to find out how he moved up in the world from an underling to a kingpin in just two years.

TO WIN HANDS DOWN – to win something very easily

If you remember, there was a huge clash of two gangs near Grand Port. All newspapers wrote about it. It's believed Pit's gang won hands down but the victory wasn't so easy.

TO HAVE AN ACE UP YOUR SLEEVE – to have a secret advantage

In reality, the circumstances weren't in their favor. They were caught off guard. But Pit happened to have an ace up in his sleeve.

TO SAVE THE DAY – to lead smth that appears to be failing to a success

He was a pro in digging up the dirt on rivals. Some information can easily help achieve the desired goal. And that’s what happened that time. No one knows what dirty secret he used then but it saved the day.

TO WORK LIKE A CHARM – to work very effectively and produce the desired outcome

His information worked like a charm: their rivals retreated.

WITH FLYING COLORS – to do something very well and have every right to feel proud

Since Pit managed to deal with the situation with flying colors, he gained some respect and started to climb the career ladder very fast.

A WIN-WIN SITUATION – the situation beneficial to all parties involved

No wonder that when it came to appointing the new right hand of the boss, Pit was first in the list of candidates. That was a win-win situation for everybody. Pit didn’t have a lot of enemies and wasn’t under protection of any ‘big fish’ yet (because nobody paid attention to him because because of his low status).

TO BRING THE HOUSE DOWN – to cause an audience to clap, laugh or smile by performing or doing something well

So, his appointment brought the house down, so to speak.

TO HAVE THE WORLD AT ONE’S FEET – 1) to be very popular and admired by people; 2) to have a lot of opportunities or things to use

Now Big Pit has the world at his feet (2): money, cars, people - everything is at his disposal.”

TO ACE A TEST – to do exceptionally well in a test and get a very high score

“And you say it's me who is well-informed! If one day we have a test on the leaders of criminal organizations, you’ll definitely ace it!”

Test your knowledge of idioms about success here:

Test 1

Test 2