Make up leeway British informal verb phrase
It's also known as make up the leeway.
To reach a better position or get out of a bad situation after a period when you did not make enough progress
The companies who survived after the economic crisis caused by the pandemic have been slowly making up leeway as the economy recovers.
She is so far behind that she has little hope of making up the leeway on the first runner.
To punish someone or something harshly
This idiom is often used to express that you should accept an unpleasant situation or event because you cannot change it.
Once something has been done, you can do nothing but face the consequences.
The verb "make" should be conjugated according to its tense
Leeway, which dates from the mid 17th century, was the nautical term for the drift of a ship towards the side downwind of its course. This phrase dating from the early 19th century is used figuratively.
To be very wet
Because of forgetting bringing an umbrella, I look like a drowned rat when it rains.