bookie's runner
Someone who works for a bookmaker, as by collecting bets. A: "I know that guy, he's a bookie's runner." B: "If he's talking to Tom, does that mean Tom's gambling again?" He's a bookie's runner—he doesn't care if you succeed or fail, he just cares if he gets a bet from you or not. Back when I had a gambling problem, I practically had my bookie's runner on speed dial.
do a runner
To flee or quickly leave a place, usually so as to get out of paying for something or to avoid trouble or the law. Primarily heard in UK. The teenagers did a runner as soon as the cab stopped, leaving the driver to foot the bill. The young man, unintelligible with drink, did a runner when the police went up to question him. A: "We can't just do a runner!" B: "Well, we both forgot our wallets, so what other choice do we have?"
front runner
The person or thing most likely to be awarded something. I hear that movie is the front runner for the Best Picture Oscar. Amanda's the front runner for the position—she's overqualified, honestly, and has a great attitude. I know I'm not the front runner for the award, but my grades are good enough to put me in the mix, right?
runner-up
One who finishes a competition ahead of the majority of competitors but does not win overall. No, Amanda beat me by a fraction of a second. I'm the runner-up. Congratulations to our second runner-up! That leaves just two contestants battling it out for the top two spots in the tournament.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
front-runner
the person or thing thought most likely to win or succeed. The press found out some juicy secrets about the front-runner and made them all public. Who is the front-runner in the race to be governor?
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
do a runner
BRITISH, INFORMALCOMMON If someone does a runner, they leave a place in a hurry, especially in order to escape trouble or to avoid paying for something. At this point, the accountant did a runner — with all my money.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
do a runner
leave hastily, especially to avoid paying for something or to escape from somewhere. British informal 1997 Iain Sinclair Lights Out For The Territory Nobody seemed to know if the absentee landlord had done a runner.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
do a ˈrunner
(British English, informal) leave or escape from somebody/a place, often after doing something wrong: He stole all the money in the office and did a runner. ♢ ‘What happened to his wife?’ ‘She did a runner. Nobody’s seen her for months.’Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
front runner
n. the leader; the person or thing most likely to win. The press found out some juicy secrets about the front runner and made them all public.
runner
1. n. a messenger. I work as a runner in the financial district.
2. n. a person who transports contraband. (Underworld.) The runners got away, but we have the goods.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
front runner
Someone who is expected to win. The term comes from horse racing and began to be used figuratively in the first half of the 1900s. Its most prominent context is political, referring to a candidate who leads his or her opponents in an election, but it also occurs in other kinds of contest. Thus Wilbur Smith used it in Gold Mine (1970): “He had joined C.R.C. a mere twelve years previously and now he was the front runner.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer