Eat Someone's Lunch——搶飯碗

** to defeat or outperform someone decisively, taking away something they already had -- such as market share, customers, or an advantage

徹底擊敗對手並奪取其原有之物或優勢

~~ 搶先一步；搶優勢；虎口奪食；踩着別人的肩膀往上爬；取而代之；搶走某人的午餐錢

~~ steal someone's thunder; take the wind out of someone's sails; beat someone to the punch; cut someone off at the pass; pull the rug out from under someone; take someone's lunch money

!! The slangy hyperbole emerged in American English around the 1950s-1960s. It likely was derived from the literal, aggressive imagery of a schoolyard bully taking another child's lunch and consuming it, thereby symbolizing an act of domination, conquer, and deprivation.

這種俚語式的誇張修辭手法大約在一九五○至一九六○年代的美國英語中出現。它很可能源自於校園惡霸搶走另一個孩子午餐並吃掉的字面意思，象徵支配、征服和剝奪的行為。

Over time, this literal act of stealing became a metaphor for outperforming a competitor in business or sports, with the implication that the winner has not only succeeded but has actively taken away the loser's "sustenance," i.e., market share, profits, or victory.

隨着時間的推移，這種字面意義上的偷竊行為變成在商業或體育中超越競爭對手的隱喻，含義是獲勝者不僅取得成功，亦積極奪走失敗者的“生存資源”，即市場份額、利潤或勝利。

>> Chinese AI companies are eating America's lunch with cheaper, faster models.

中國人工智能公司正以更便宜、更快速的模型，搶走美國的市場份額。

學勤教育中心英語專科導師 李啟文 教 授