Visual Vocabulary - To Miss the Boat

source: EnglishAnyone      2016年12月13日
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Today’s expression is “to miss the boat.” This is a very common idiom meaning to miss your chance to do something either you want to do, or are strongly suggested to do.
Imagine you’re in your home packing your suitcase for a 7 day cruise you’ve really been looking forward to. But when you look at your watch, you notice the ship is leaving in one hour.
You immediately race to the dock to get on board, but by the time you arrive, the ship has already left, and you’re left standing at the edge of the dock watching the ship disappear in the distance.
Like missing an actual ship, any opportunity you can no longer take advantage of is an example of “missing the boat.”

# “To miss the boat” is a phrase you can use in both professional and casual situations:
A: We need to move fast to close the deal.
B: Good thinking! We don’t want to miss the boat on this one!

A: I hope I didn’t miss the boat. Is there still time to buy a lottery ticket?
B: Sure. Here’s the last one.

A: I wanted to book a room at my favorite hotel, but it looks like I missed the boat.
B: That’s OK. You’ll find another room.

A: My son waited too long to purchase that stock before it exploded up and made a bunch of people a lot of money.
B: Sorry to hear he missed the boat. I’m sure another chance will be coming soon, though.