run for one's money

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English

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Etymology

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The idiom likely originates with horse racing, where one can get enjoyment "from watching the race even if one does not win much." Its usage was first recorded in 1874.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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a run for one's money

  1. (idiomatic) A difficult challenge for the person indicated, especially one involving a competitive situation.
  2. (idiomatic, dated) A reasonable opportunity to succeed, perform acceptably, or escape harm, especially in a difficult situation.
    • 1913, Rudyard Kipling, chapter 18, in Letters of Travel:
      He appealed and, by some arrangement or other, got leave to state his case personally to the Court of Revision. Said, I believe, that he did not much trust lawyers, but that if the sahibs would give him a hearing, as man to man, he might have a run for his money.
    • 1917, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 11, in The Sheriff's Son:
      "I say he'll get a run for his money. If there's any killing to be done, it will be in fair fight."

Usage notes

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  • Usually preceded by the verb to give followed by a noun or pronoun which functions as an indirect object identifying the person(s) receiving the run for their money:
    We gave him a run for his money.

Translations

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Christine Ammer (2013) “run for one's money, a”, in American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, second edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, pages 383–384.

Further reading

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