stay one jump ahead

stay one jump ahead

To maintain an advantageous position (over another person or an impending occurrence) by being proactive. I'm studying hard to stay one jump ahead of Christine, who is my main competition for valedictorian. I'm going to leave early and take the side streets so I can stay one jump ahead of the traffic.See also: ahead, jump, one, stay

be/stay one jump aˈhead (of somebody/something)

have/keep your advantage over somebody by taking action before they do or by making sure you know more than they do: For years he has managed to stay one jump ahead of the police. ♢ People who are successful in business are always one jump ahead of the competition.See also: ahead, jump, one, stay