1An act of helping someone to mount a horse or high object.

1. 1.1 An act of helping someone or something to improve their position.
   the council is to provide a financial leg up for the club

   Example sentencesExamples

   • For these thrusting young hopefuls, the graduate show can provide a crucial leg-up in snagging the attention of visiting agents and casting directors.
   • A former jockey has developed this revolutionary lightweight racing saddle after being given a leg-up by European funding.
   • And Grant credits a gruelling pre-season training schedule with giving him the leg-up he needed to prove a point.
   • Allocating 70,000 litres to a number of qualified farm managers would also help give these people a vital leg-up in the industry, he said.
   • But, in general, the private schools are so far ahead of the state ones that to go to a private school confers a bigger leg-up than ever.
   • With this mortgage we hope to give them the leg-up necessary to help them realise the dream of their first home.
   • You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that we are just giving teams a leg-up all the time.
   • On one hand, it's a small-scale theatre festival that gives a leg-up to some of the newest and most creative names on the scene.
   • The charity is called the Rugby Portobello Trust, and it raises money to train, help, house and generally give a leg-up to deprived young persons, mainly from the north of the area.
   • It is a little known fact that Lawrence was instrumental in giving Robson a leg-up on the managerial ladder.
   • Crucially, Word Market has also succeeded in its goal of giving a leg-up to local writers by providing both writing opportunities and confidence-boosting performance and organisational experience.
   • The government's good intentions about giving young people a financial leg-up on the ladder of adult life will fall far short of the amounts needed to meet major commitments, it has been claimed.
   • To do so would mean giving a leg-up to the political opponents they defeated yesterday.
   • They know they can't rest forever on being the place that first gave a leg-up to Ewan McGregor.
   • Trust your partners and colleagues to give you a leg-up.
   • There's no big power network in New York and Washington waiting to give you a leg-up.
   • Proceeds from the book will go to the Lotus Foundation, a London-based charitable trust set up by the Starrs to provide a leg-up for organisations working in all kinds of areas, from animal welfare to the care of abused women and children.
   • ‘We will give them a leg-up to keep going and advise them on finding other sources,’ says Mr Kenworthy.
   • How do they expect me to find work if they don't give me a leg-up?
   • Do you really want give a leg-up to these people who are younger, better-looking and more energetic than you?

   Synonyms

   grant, allowance, endowment, contribution, donation, bursary, gift, present, investment, bestowal, benefaction, allocation, allotment, handout