C1idiomsuccessIELTS-friendly
fall at the first hurdle
USUK
to fail at the very first stage of something
British, from horse racing. American English tends to say 'fail at the first step'.
In context
My application fell at the first hurdle because I forgot to attach my CV.
Many start-ups fall at the first hurdle when they can't find investors.
More idioms about success
- a blessing in disguisesomething that seems bad at first but later brings a good result
- a close calla situation in which you only just avoid danger or failure
- a dream come truesomething you have wanted for a long time that has finally happened
- a feather in your capan achievement that you can be proud of and that may help you later
- a flash in the pana sudden success that does not last or happen again