have the legs of someone

verb

To be able to outpace someone.

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Meanings

verbhave the legs of someone (third-person singular simple present has the legs of someone, present participle having the legs of someone, simple past and past participle had the legs of someone)

present singular third person has the legs of someone · participle present having the legs of someone · participle past had the legs of someone · past had the legs of someone

  1. To be able to outpace someone.

    Anyway, we'll get behind him; and I think we have the legs of him when it comes to a straight pursuit.

    2018, Alfred Duggan, Besieger of Cities
    1 more example

    I knew something of gunnery once, but now I'm on the shelf. I myself would risk the mouldies and fight at close quarters—we have the legs of Fritz and could choose our own range—but in-fighting means tremendous risks, and the dear stupid old public would howl for my head if the corresponding losses followed.

    2021, Bennet Copplestone, The Silent Watchers: England's Navy during the Great War
Cite this entry
APA

have the legs of someone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20legs%20of%20someone

MLA

“have the legs of someone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20legs%20of%20someone. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have the legs of someone,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20legs%20of%20someone.

Source: have the legs of someone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.