| No. | Item | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | a losing battle | a fight you cannot win |
| 2. | a slam dunk | an easy success |
| 3. | a sure thing | certain to succeed |
| 4. | ahead of the pack | leading the group |
| 5. | all but won | almost certainly won |
| 6. | at the top of your game | performing at your best |
| 7. | back to square one | return to the start |
| 8. | back to the drawing board | start over after failure |
| 9. | bite the dust | be defeated or die |
| 10. | blow it | fail through a mistake |
| 11. | blow the lead | lose an advantage |
| 12. | blow your chances | ruin your opportunity |
| 13. | come back | recover to compete again |
| 14. | come from behind | win after trailing |
| 15. | come out ahead | finish with an advantage |
| 16. | come out on top | end up winning |
| 17. | come through | succeed when needed |
| 18. | come up trumps | turn out successful |
| 19. | down to the wire | decided at the last moment |
| 20. | draw a blank | fail to find an answer |
| 21. | drop the ball | make a mistake and fail |
| 22. | edge out | win by a small margin |
| 23. | end in tears | finish badly |
| 24. | end up empty-handed | get nothing after effort |
| 25. | fall apart | stop functioning successfully |
| 26. | fall by the wayside | drop out due to failure |
| 27. | fall flat | fail to impress |
| 28. | fall from grace | lose status and respect |
| 29. | fall on your face | fail embarrassingly |
| 30. | fall short | fail to reach a goal |
| 31. | gain the upper hand | get an advantage |
| 32. | get the better of | defeat or outdo |
| 33. | go all out | try as hard as possible |
| 34. | go down fighting | lose but resist strongly |
| 35. | go for broke | risk everything to win |
| 36. | go head to head | compete directly |
| 37. | go the distance | last to the end |
| 38. | go toe to toe | compete directly |
| 39. | have the edge | have a slight advantage |
| 40. | have the upper hand | hold an advantage |
| 41. | hit a wall | suddenly stop making progress |
| 42. | hold the fort | maintain position under pressure |
| 43. | hold your own | compete without losing |
| 44. | home free | safe from losing now |
| 45. | in a tight spot | in a difficult situation |
| 46. | in dire straits | in severe difficulty |
| 47. | in hot water | in trouble |
| 48. | in the bag | certain to be won |
| 49. | in the driver’s seat | in control and likely to win |
| 50. | keep pace | stay even with others |
| 51. | keep your eye on the ball | stay focused to succeed |
| 52. | keep your head above water | avoid failing completely |
| 53. | lose big | suffer a major defeat |
| 54. | lose by a whisker | lose narrowly |
| 55. | lose face | suffer public embarrassment |
| 56. | lose ground | fall behind |
| 57. | lose heart | become discouraged |
| 58. | lose out | miss a chance to win |
| 59. | lose your edge | stop being as good |
| 60. | make a comeback | return to success |
| 61. | meet your match | face an equal opponent |
| 62. | miss the boat | lose an opportunity |
| 63. | neck and neck | evenly matched in a race |
| 64. | nip and tuck | very close competition |
| 65. | no contest | an obvious win |
| 66. | on a roll | having repeated successes |
| 67. | on a winning streak | winning repeatedly |
| 68. | out of contention | no longer competing to win |
| 69. | out of the running | no longer able to win |
| 70. | out of your league | too difficult to beat |
| 71. | pull ahead | gain a lead |
| 72. | pull away | increase your lead |
| 73. | pull it off | succeed unexpectedly |
| 74. | pull off a win | manage to win |
| 75. | pull out all the stops | use every effort to win |
| 76. | pull rank | use authority to win |
| 77. | pull the rug out | suddenly defeat or undermine |
| 78. | scrape by | barely succeed |
| 79. | snatch defeat | turn victory into loss |
| 80. | squeak by | win narrowly |
| 81. | stand your ground | refuse to give up |
| 82. | stay in the game | continue competing |
| 83. | stay the course | continue despite difficulties |
| 84. | take home the trophy | win the award |
| 85. | take it on the chin | accept defeat bravely |
| 86. | take no prisoners | show no mercy in winning |
| 87. | take the win | accept the victory |
| 88. | take your lumps | accept punishment or loss |
| 89. | throw in the towel | give up and admit defeat |
| 90. | throw the fight | lose on purpose |
| 91. | throw up your hands | give up in frustration |
| 92. | up against it | facing serious difficulty |
| 93. | up the creek | in serious trouble |
| 94. | win at all costs | win no matter what |
| 95. | win by a mile | win by a large margin |
| 96. | win fair and square | win honestly |
| 97. | win hands down | win very easily |
| 98. | win over | persuade to support you |
| 99. | win someone’s heart | gain someone’s love |
| 100. | win the day | achieve success in the end |