laurel

look to one's laurels

Fig. to take care not to lower or diminish one's reputation or position, especially in relation to that of someone else potentially better. With the arrival of the new member of the football team, James will have to look to his laurels to remain as the highest scorer. The older members of the team will have to look to their laurels when the new players arrive.

See also: look

rest on one's laurels

Fig. to stop trying because one is satisfied with one's past achievements. Despite our success, this is no time to rest on our laurels. We rested on our laurels too long. Our competitors took away a lot of our business.

See also: rest

---

look to your laurels

to make an extra effort to succeed because there is more competition Nowadays there are a number of rival products on the market and the older, established companies are having to look to their laurels.

See also: look

rest on your laurels

to be so satisfied with your own achievements that you make no effort to improve Just because you passed all your exams, that's no reason to rest on your laurels.

See also: rest

---

rest on your laurels

to be so satisfied with your achievements that you make no effort to improve Even though you did well on all your exams, you can't simply rest on your laurels.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of laurels (a ring of leaves worn on the head in ancient times as a symbol of victory)

See also: rest