come off second best

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come off second best

To finish something, such as a contest or competition, in second place. Even though I'd spent weeks working on my project for the science fair, I still came off second best.
See also: come, off, second
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

come off second best

to be second to someone or something; to get the poorer end of a bargain. As usual, he came off second best with a little less prize money than the winner. I don't want to come off second best again.
See also: come, off, second
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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References in periodicals archive ?
HAM ROLLED OVER: Michael Carrick comes off second best against Preston scorer Ricardo Fuller
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Ranger ' s' A LITTLE NASTY Rangers' Andy Little comes off second best in an accidental clash with Dunfermline's Alex Whittle and, above, is stretchered off
ANDY STEPS UP TO PLATE; Cheek inserts for battered Little OP FOR LITTLE
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Because when cars and pedestrians 'mingle', it's usually the pedestrian who comes off second best.
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"He comes off second best sometimes and we have had him treated for nasty injuries."
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THE HUNTER 102mins 15 THE perennially underrated Willem Dafoe shows his star power once again in this absorbing thriller - but even his searing intensity comes off second best to The Hunter's imagery.
Hunt out Dafoe in compelling form
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