first loser

first loser

One who achieves second place in a competition, i.e., who loses to the first-place contestant. Likely derived from the phrase "Second place is the first loser," which was popularized by (and often credited to) race car driver Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (1951–2001). You go out into that ring and you give it absolutely everything you've got! You haven't come all this way to simply be crowned the first loser!
See also: first, loser
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • in the second place
  • blue ribbon
  • ditch (some place)
  • defect to
  • defect to (something)
  • Mecca for
  • have a foothold
  • have a foothold in (something)
  • barrel in
  • barrel in(to)
References in periodicals archive
He noted that the government made the decision individually without consulting any of the rolling steel companies other than the four major companies, of which the state owns two, and that the consumer is the first loser of this decision application.
Tehran, SANA- Special Advisor to the Iranian Shura Council Speaker for International Affairs, Hossein Amir Abdollahian stressed that "The Israeli entity will be the first loser of adopting warmongering policies in the region "
A saying I remember from him was, "Second place is the first loser." For him it was being number one or nothing.
McBookie are giving Record Sport's Gordon Parks a PS50 charity bet and last week he picked his first loser so is PS485 up for the season.
TOP TREBLE Man City -1, Aberdeen Dunfermline (3-1, Skybet) HOMES Chelsea, Man City -1 Plymouth, Ross Co Dunfermline (11-1, Coral) EURO TREBLE Borussia Dortmund Ajax, PSG (all Sun) (5-2, Coral) 1ST SCORER Daly is 9-1 LONG SHOTS BOTH TO SCORE B'mouth v Leicester St Mirren v Livingston Annan v Montrose (9-2, Betfred) AWAYS Walsall, Aberdeen Peterhead Rangers (Sun) (12-1, Ladbrokes) DRAWS Stoke v West Brom Derby v Leeds (12.05) Ipswich v Brighton Hibs v Raith (208-1, McBookie) SUPERSINGLE I POSTED my first loser of the season last week with my first bet from England.
According to BloodSport, not only is second best the first loser, but when the game is bowhunting, second best also goes hungry.
FAN BLOG ANDREW BENBOW @WBABENBOW AS the nights closed in it seemed as if Albion had a long winter ahead, and an end-ofseason review would be a grim autopsy with player of the year a case of first loser.
"Second place is just the first loser," said Mourinho of Pellegrini's single season at the Bernabeu, when Madrid finished runners-up to Barcelona despite accumulating 96 points.
With a rigged bid, the foreclosed homeowner is the first loser.
The 26-year-old from Basingstoke was the first of five home hopes to take to the grass on the opening day but left Court Three as the first loser, 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7/3) 6-4.
Again I defaulted to the 66, which worked fine, coming in second overall/First Master, which are kind ways of saying First Loser.
Bartlett said UK betting sites had become more competitive since moving offshore "so the first loser is likely to be the gambler".
"We believe that the Shiite community is the first loser from the supremacy of weapons, and that the ongoing work to militarize this essential community in Lebanon is harmful for it and for its role in the Lebanese democratic system," he said.
BB fans chanted "get Makosi out" as host Davina McCall was about to name the first loser.
Or, to put it a crueller way, second place is first loser.