look to laurels



look to one's laurels

Fig. to take care not to lower or diminish one's reputation or position, especially in relation to that of someone else potentially better. With the arrival of the new member of the football team, James will have to look to his laurels to remain as the highest scorer. The older members of the team will have to look to their laurels when the new players arrive.
See also: laurel, look

look to your laurels

to make an extra effort to succeed because there is more competition Nowadays there are a number of rival products on the market and the older, established companies are having to look to their laurels.
See also: laurel, look

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Hayley['heili]
GertrŪDa-Lithuanian
Jarka-Czech
JuanaHWAH-nahSpanish
DutchDUCHEnglish
Koba-Georgian