the.com/opening
The gap that decides whether you walk through or stand there forever.
means An unobstructed space, gap, or hole through which something can pass — or, by extension, a chance or available position that lets you move forward.
from From the verb 'open,' which traces back to Old English 'openian,' meaning to make open or unclose. That verb is tied to the adjective 'open' (Old English 'open'), a cousin of words across the Germanic family — Dutch 'open,' German 'offen' — and probably related to the idea of 'up,' as in something lifted or raised away to leave a gap. The '-ing' ending turned the action into a thing: first the literal hole, then, by easy metaphor, the figurative one — the vacancy, the chance, the moment you either seize or don't.
- chess theory
- Players memorize openings 20+ moves deep before thinking
- film cold open
- First ten minutes determine if audiences stay
- job market
- Most positions get filled before being posted
- music hook
- Listeners decide a song within seven seconds
opening of suez canal — egypt, november 17 1869, connecting mediterranean to red sea
opening of brooklyn bridge — new york city, may 24 1883, first steel suspension bridge
opening of disneyland — anaheim california, july 17 1955, first disney theme park