Language: en
Meaning: (idiomatic)Adifficultchallengefor the person indicated, especially one involving acompetitivesituation.1908,G[ilbert] K[eith] Chesterton,The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare, Bristol:J[ames]W[illiams]Arrowsmith,[…]; London:Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Company,→OCLC:Since the beginning of the world all men have hunted me like a wolf—kings and sages, and poets and lawgivers, all the churches, and all the philosophies. But I have never been caught yet, and the skies will fall in the time I turn to bay. I have given them a goodrun for their money, and I will now.1918,Peter B. Kyne, chapter 24, inThe Valley of the Giants:"If your competitor regards you as a menace to his pocketbook, he can give you a nice littlerun for your moneyand delay you indefinitely."2003April 3, Mitch Frank, “Why Primaries Matter”, inTime:After beating Bush in New Hampshire, McCain gave him a two monthrun for his money. Bush had to prove he wasn't just a famous name.2012,David Walliams[pseudonym; David Edward Williams],Ratburger, London:HarperCollins Children’s Books,→ISBN:Zoe followed him out, and saw he was halfway down the street, running so fast he would give the Olympic-gold-winning sprinters arun for their money.; (idiomatic,dated)Areasonableopportunitytosucceed, performacceptably, or escapeharm, especially in adifficultsituation.1913,Rudyard Kipling, chapter 18, inLetters of Travel:He appealed and, by some arrangement or other, got leave to state his case personally to the Court of Revision. Said, I believe, that he did not much trust lawyers, but that if the sahibs would give him a hearing, as man to man, he might have arun for his money.1917,William MacLeod Raine, chapter 11, inThe Sheriff's Son:"I say he'll get arun for his money. If there's any killing to be done, it will be in fair fight."
Validation Count: 0
Sourced from Wiktionary