runner

Related to runner: road runner

do a runner

To flee or quickly leave a place, usually so as to get out of paying for something or to avoid trouble or the law. Primarily heard in UK. The teenagers did a runner as soon as the cab stopped, leaving the driver to foot the bill. The young man, unintelligible with drink, did a runner when the police went up to question him.
See also: runner

front runner

The person or thing most likely to be awarded something. I hear that movie is the front runner for the Best Picture Oscar. Amanda's the front runner for the position—she's overqualified, honestly, and has a great attitude.
See also: front, runner

runner-up

One who finishes a competition ahead of the majority of competitors but does not win overall. No, Amanda beat me by a fraction of a second. I'm the runner-up. Congratulations to our second runner-up! That leaves just two contestants battling it out for the top two spots in the tournament.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

front-runner

the person or thing thought most likely to win or succeed. The press found out some juicy secrets about the front-runner and made them all public. Who is the front-runner in the race to be governor?
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

do a runner

BRITISH, INFORMAL
COMMON If someone does a runner, they leave a place in a hurry, especially in order to escape trouble or to avoid paying for something. At this point, the accountant did a runner — with all my money.
See also: runner
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

do a runner

leave hastily, especially to avoid paying for something or to escape from somewhere. British informal
1997 Iain Sinclair Lights Out For The Territory Nobody seemed to know if the absentee landlord had done a runner.
See also: runner
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

do a ˈrunner

(British English, informal) leave or escape from somebody/a place, often after doing something wrong: He stole all the money in the office and did a runner. ‘What happened to his wife?’ ‘She did a runner. Nobody’s seen her for months.’
See also: runner
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

front runner

n. the leader; the person or thing most likely to win. The press found out some juicy secrets about the front runner and made them all public.
See also: front, runner

runner

1. n. a messenger. I work as a runner in the financial district.
2. n. a person who transports contraband. (Underworld.) The runners got away, but we have the goods.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

front runner

Someone who is expected to win. The term comes from horse racing and began to be used figuratively in the first half of the 1900s. Its most prominent context is political, referring to a candidate who leads his or her opponents in an election, but it also occurs in other kinds of contest. Thus Wilbur Smith used it in Gold Mine (1970): “He had joined C.R.C. a mere twelve years previously and now he was the front runner.”
See also: front, runner
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • do a runner
  • do a bunk
  • go between the moon and the milkman
  • have it on (one's) toes
  • have it on your toes
  • chase (someone or something) out of (some place)
  • chase out of some place Go to chase
  • crawling with (something)
  • light out for (some place)
  • lights out
References in periodicals archive
8 With runners on first and third with one out, the defensive team has the runner on third in a rundown between third and home.
How Do You Rate with These 10 True or False Rules Questions?
2nd Runner up Gross: Abiha Hanim Syed of KGC score 189.
Sarunchana of Thailand Wins 3rd Pakistan Ladies Amateur Golf Championship
As an example, this formula is used by many designers in our industry to size runner systems:
Cold runner design: sizing up your runner system: designing runners for multi-cavity injection molds is no straightforward process
Runners heading down Lloyd George Avenue, Cardiff, in the Principality Building |Society Great Welsh Run at Cardiff Bay PAUL ROSE
Best foot forward for run of memories
In a sprue-choked gating system, the runner should be placed entirely in the drag.
Designing a runner system
Another reason that one runner cross-section might be considered over another is how easy the runner is to remove from the runner parting line during mold service.
Laminar flow ratio--a new tool for runner cross-section design
This running club is gearing up for the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon with about 100 runners taking part on January 22.
Striding towards more glory
Kevin Elliott: The OTC Elite runner ran 1:49.49 and did not advance in the men's 800.
LOCAL TIES
The amount of head start that each runner receives is based on their best 5000-meter race time.
Track & field favorite running drills
On a recent Runnersworld.com thread discussing GPS use--a quick scroll of which revealed dozens of entries from distance runners--one Boston marathoner and first-time GPS user wrote, "What was really nice was having the average pace set up on the custom page, which let me know where I was [in relation to my overall time goal]." This cuts to the heart of what runners seem to find valuable: For around $150, the wrist-mounted GPS unit can serve as a dedicated personal trainer.
Tracking your progress with GPS technology
Thirdly, often Langer has simply found that steering runners toward one shoe or another is difficult because of the "singular experience we all have with each shoe." Concepts like "comfort" are almost hopelessly subjective.
Fitting the running shoe to the patient: Paul Langer, DPM, shares his thoughts
HOW DO YOU IMPLEMENT FOOD RUNNER'S PRINCIPLES AT TANTE MARIE?
The toughest table in town
It's a versatile course that can be taught by an agricultural instructor or science teacher," notes Jay Runner, coordinator for Facilitating Coordination in Agricultural Education (FCAE), Rantoul, Ill.
Honing in on environmental education: Illinois program set for national splash. (AG Careers & Universities)
The design of runners and cavity layouts for injection molds, particularly multicavity molds for thermoset materials, represents a substantial opportunity to reduce scrap or rework, to reduce the time for runner solidification, and to utilize platen area efficiently.
Runner sizing
It's been 24 years since author PATRICIA NELL WARREN wrote her classic novel The Front Runner, a love story between an out gay college long-distance runner and a closeted ex-Marine track coach.
Changes in the wind