hard/tough act to follow
a hard act to follow
Someone or something so exemplary that it overshadows anything that follows. I don't know how Mel's replacement will be received by the staff. He was so admired and respected that he'll be a tough act to follow. That award-winning play will be a tough act to follow on Broadway. She is such a talented singer that she'll be a hard act to follow in the talent show.
a tough act to follow
Someone or something so exemplary that it overshadows anything that follows. I don't know how Mel's replacement will be received by the staff. He was so admired and respected that he'll be a tough act to follow. That award-winning play will be a tough act to follow on Broadway. She is such a talented singer that she'll be a tough act to follow in the talent show.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
hard/tough act to follow
An outstanding person or performance. The term comes from American vaudeville around the turn of the twentieth century and originally referred to a particularly good act that might make the one following it look mediocre by comparison. In time it was applied to any particularly successful enterprise or admirable individual.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer