Neck and neck means level, with no clear leader: either side could still win. The two runners were neck and neck until the final bend. It works for elections, rankings and votes too: our team is neck and neck with the champions. Before a noun: a neck-and-neck race.
When would you say neck and neck?
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two competitors + be or run + neck and neck / neck and neck with someone
- The two runners were neck and neck until the final bend.
- Our team is neck and neck with the defending champions in the league table.
- The two designs are neck and neck in the audience vote.
What changed
First versionThe candidates were neck to neck after the first round.
RevisionThe candidates were neck and neck after the first round.
Phrases like face to face and back to back suggest to: neck to neck. But this idiom uses and: neck and neck. The rival is added with with.
A tie or a draw is a final result with no winner. Neck and neck describes a contest that's still going on. Head and shoulders above is the opposite: a clear lead.
Your turn
Complete the established idiom for a close contest: The teams are neck ___ neck.
Show the answer
and — The idiom is neck and neck, with and. Nobody says it with to.
Describe a contest or race where two rivals were almost level, using neck and neck.
The two school choirs were neck and neck after the judges announced the first scores.
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