The Idiom Attic - a collection of hundreds of English idioms, each one explained.
The meaning of "miss the boat"
" Miss the boat "
Meaning:
Missed the chance to take an opportunity.
Example:
I should have asked him for that loan when he was in a good mood. Now he's fed up because he's lost at golf and I've missed the boat.
Where did it originate?:
The origin of this expression is uncertain. An early 1930 reference describe it as an Americanism, but that reference is from England and there are no earlier known uses from the USA.
