shoe-in
Victory seems assured
A misspelling of shoo-in, meaning a sure winner or certain outcome.
The correct spelling comes from the idea of shooing something along—urging it forward to an inevitable conclusion.
The spelling with "shoe" is common but mistaken, perhaps influenced by the image of getting one's foot in the door.
Promised with certainty
- lockMechanism requiring a key
- cinchGuaranteed easy thing
- sure thingGuaranteed outcome or agreement
- foregone conclusionResult assumed beforehand
slam dunk · no-brainer · safe bet · assured · inevitable · automatic · definite · uncontested
Most liked option
- odds-onLikely to win
- top seedHighest-ranked competitor
- championTop competitor, or advocate
- winnerOne who prevails
contender · finalist · selection · draft pick · recruitment · tryout · audition · contest
guaranteed
Promised with certainty
- lockMechanism requiring a key
- cinchGuaranteed easy thing
- sure thingGuaranteed outcome or agreement
foregone conclusion · slam dunk · no-brainer · safe bet · assured · inevitable · automatic · definite · uncontested · predetermined
favorite
Most liked option
winner · contender · finalist · selection · draft pick · recruitment · tryout · audition · contest · tournament
frontrunner
Leading candidate or competitor
appointee · favorite · election · vote · endorsement · campaign · landslide · uncontested · primary · ticket
- word errorseggcorn, malapropism, could of, would of, for all intensive purposes
shoe-inlong shot
Unlikely to succeed
underdog · lost cause · no-hoper · hopeless case · dark horse
shoe-inunderdog
Presumed loser beforehand
also-ran · afterthought · bottom of the barrel · rank outsider · second-stringer