miss the boat
miss an opportunity
In Spanish
perder el tren, dejar pasar la oportunidad
Examples
- If we don't act now, we'll miss the boat entirely.
- She missed the boat by not applying for the job sooner.
- They missed the boat on investing in that company when it was affordable.
When it's used
Used in informal contexts to indicate that someone has missed an opportunity. It is a common expression in everyday conversations, especially in business or personal situations where timely action was needed.
The common mistake
Spanish speakers sometimes mistakenly say 'lose the boat', which is not English. The correct idiom is 'miss the boat'.