Question of the Day #729

For the girls side, both Newburyport (9-2-2) and Pentucket (9-2-2) are battling neck and neck for the CAL Kinney Division.

From the 10th paragraph of this article at Yahoo! News.

上記の文で、neck and neckの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "neck and neck" mean?

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Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

〔勝負が〕接戦で、互角に

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Extremely close together; at or near an equal level. Usually said of competitors in a race or competition.

語源

英辞郎によると、

【語源】競馬でゴールに到達するとき、ギリギリ首の差であるときの様子から。

Etymology

According to Know Your Phrase,

The expression “neck and neck” is a term in horse racing. It’s used when two or more horses are running alongside each other towards the finish line. When the horses are evenly matched, running side by side, they are said to be “neck and neck.” So it’s believed that horse racing is where this phrase comes from.

Examples

• The two athletes have been neck and neck for this entire race.
• The election is neck and neck. We're going to have to wait until the very last votes are tallied.
• Mary and Ann were neck and neck in the spelling contest. Their scores were tied.
• Pears run neck and neck with apples as one of Americans’ favorite fruits. — Darlene Zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, 4 Sep. 2021
• The Holy Cross boys battled neck and neck with Bishop Brossart before taking home the team title with 55 points. — Siera Jones, The Courier-Journal, 11 June 2021

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