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Failure - Lose or Win

Dive into English idioms that regard to losing or winning, like "take up the gauntlet" and "close call".

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English idioms related to Failure
close call

a situation where there is an equal chance for one to fail or succeed

Ex: The final vote was a close call, with both sides almost equally likely to win. 
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to [go|stand|be] toe-to-toe

to fight or compete with someone with great force, determination, and strength

Ex: The two teams went toe-to-toe until the final whistle. 
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to [look] to {one's} laurels

to try harder in order not to let others outdo one

Ex: The market leader must look to its laurels now that new rivals are growing fast. 
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to [meet|find] {one's} match

to be challenged by someone as equally good or slightly better than one

Ex: The champion finally met his match in the young challenger. 
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to [take] up the gauntlet

to agree to undertake a challenge

Ex: When the rival team challenged us, we took up the gauntlet. 
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to [throw] down the gauntlet

to challenge someone to a fight or competition

Ex: The champion threw down the gauntlet and invited anyone to challenge him. 
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bring it on
bring it on
[sentence]

used to demonstrate confidence in one's skills and abilities when challenging someone

Ex: You think you can beat me? Bring it on. 
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playing field

the circumstances or conditions under which competition takes place

Ex: New rules changed the playing field for small businesses. 
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zero-sum game

a situation in which one side can achieve victory by taking the advantage away from the other side in a competition, causing them to lose the game

Ex: The negotiations became a zero-sum game, with each side trying to take advantage from the other. 
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dog eat dog
dog eat dog
[phrase]

(in business, politics, etc.) a situation in which the competition is so fierce that everyone is willing to do whatever it takes to be successful, even if it means harming others

Ex: The tech industry can be dog eat dog, especially for small startups. 
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