opportunity

cash in on opportunity

To take advantage of or benefit from an opportune moment or situation. Typically used with "an" or "the" preceding "opportunity." After the drudgery of working in an office for five years, Catherine decided to cash in on an opportunity to work as a travel writer for her friend's new tourism agency. Although the market crash left many people with overpriced mortgages, some savvy homeowners cashed in on the opportunity to purchase property at rock-bottom prices.

jump at the opportunity (to do something)

To accept or seize with alacrity an opportunity (to do something). Mark complains about his teaching job a lot, but I knew if he were offered a tenured position in the school, he would jump at the opportunity. When our manager said she was leaving the company, I jumped at the opportunity to fill the job.

The Land of Opportunity

1. The United States of America, from the notion that the country provides the opportunity for success to anyone from any background. (Sometimes spelled in lowercase.) In the early 1940s, my grandparents, fleeing persecution in Europe, took everything they owned and sailed on a boat to the Land of Opportunity. I am convinced that this is still the land of opportunity, that any man or woman with a dream and the desire to work hard can achieve anything.

2. The official state nickname of Arkansas from 1947 to 1995 (replaced by "The Natural State"). My family's been living in The Land of Opportunity for nearly three generations, but we originally hail from Pennsylvania.

opportunity knocks

A major opportunity to find success presents itself or becomes available. You have to be ready to act if opportunity knocks, or you might end up regretting it forever. It was hard leaving my parents and all my friends from high school, but when opportunity knocked to attend school overseas, I knew I had to seize the chance.

opportunity knocks at every man's door

Chances for success present themselves to everyone. Don't be jealous of your sister—opportunity knocks at every man's door, and it will come along for you soon enough.

See also: door, every, knock, opportunity

(a) golden opportunity

Fig. an excellent opportunity that is not likely to be repeated. When I failed to finish college, I missed my golden opportunity to prepare myself for a good job.

growth experience

and growth opportunity; learning experience

Euph. an unpleasant experience. This job has been a growth experience for me. I've learned so much. Jim said that his trip to Mexico turned out to be a real learning experience.

jump at the opportunity

(to do something) Go to leap at the opportunity (to do something).

leap at the opportunity (to do something)

and leap at the chance (to do something); jump at the chance (to do something); jump at the opportunity (to do something)

Fig. to accept an opportunity eagerly. Frank leapt at the opportunity to become a commercial artist. It was a great idea and we leapt at the opportunity. I would leap at the chance to go to Moscow. His company proposed to send him to England, and John jumped at the chance.

once-in-a-lifetime chance

and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

a chance that will never occur again in one's lifetime. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Don't miss it. She offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I turned it down.

Opportunity knocks but once

.Prov. You will only have one chance to do something important or profitable. (You can say opportunity knocks to signal that someone's chance to do something important is here right now.) When Nancy got a scholarship offer from a college far away, her parents encouraged her to go, even though they didn't like the thought of her moving so far from home. "Opportunity knocks but once," they said, "and this may be your only chance to get a good education."

Opportunity makes a thief.

Prov. Anyone would steal, given a chance to do so without being punished. Mr. Cooper thought of himself as a moral man. But opportunity makes a thief, and with the safe unguarded he had the opportunity to steal thousands of dollars undetected.

seize the opportunity

to take advantage of an opportunity when offered. My uncle offered me a trip to Europe, so I seized the opportunity. Whenever you have a chance, you should seize the opportunity.

window of opportunity

Fig. a brief time period in which an opportunity exists. This afternoon, I had a brief window of opportunity when I could discuss this with the boss, but she wasn't receptive.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Olubunmi	-	Western African, Yoruba
Murna	MUR-na	Irish
Cary	['kɛəri]
Hilaire	-	French
Mila	-	Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Czech, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian
Maurizio	mow-REE-tsyo	Italian