have the drop on

have the drop on

English

Verb

have the drop on (third-person singular simple present has the drop on, present participle having the drop on, simple past and past participle had the drop on)

1. (transitive, informal, by extension) To possess an advantage over another person, by acting before that person.
   • 1996, Jim Burtt-Smith, John French, A Drop in the Ocean: Dramatic Accounts of Aircrew Saved From the Sea, Pen and Sword (→ISBN), page 22:

     They had the drop on us and I had the feeling normally associated with nakedness. But they did not seem keen to take the plunge.

   • 1919, Clayton Holt Ernst, The Open Road:

     It was evident that Buck, after coming so near without discovering any remaining signs of life in his intended victim, was totally unprepared for the swift action which had placed him at a disadvantage. Craig unquestionably had the drop on him.

   • 2007, Jeff Somers, The Electric Church, Orbit (→ISBN)

     I had the drop on him, I knew it would be easy to pop him . . . but System Pigs were always tougher to kill than you thought. They always turned out to be luckier than they had right to be.

See also

• get the drop on