the.com/frontrunner
The one everyone expects to win, which is exactly how winning streaks start to wobble.
means The person or thing currently leading a race, competition, or contest — whether an actual sports lead or just the favorite in public opinion.
from Straight out of horseracing, where the 'front runner' is literally the horse that leads from the start rather than hanging back to sprint at the end — a bold, riskier strategy since there's nowhere to hide and nothing to chase. By the 1900s the term had galloped into politics and general use, describing whoever's out ahead of the pack, exposed to everyone's eyes and everyone's doubts.
- origin
- horse racing term, 19th century America
- risk
- attracts the hardest attacks from rivals
- polling trap
- often leads early, loses late
- irony
- title can vanish the moment you relax