Miss the boat

Posted by Smokey Stover on November 29, 2005

In Reply to: Miss the boat posted by Bob on November 29, 2005

: : I need a definition and derivation of some sort for miss the boat. Any ideas?,

: Boats have a schedule. Boats leave the dock. If you want to go on the boat, you must get there on time. If you are late, you miss the boat and will be disappointed. What is it you don't understand?

Bob assumes you can deduce the transferred sense of having missed some kind of opportunity that "left the dock" before you could get there, or before you could make up your mind, perhaps. Sometimes the expression, "The train has left the station" is used similarly to say that you're too late. After all, opportunity knocks but once. Or maybe twice. SS