leave someone in the dust

Originally (from 17th c.), to leave in the dust meant to abandon or leave something/someone behind - literally or figuratively on the dirt ground. In modern usage (since late 19th c.), the sense has shifted to one about being overtaken by a competitor, the allusion changing to being left in the airborne dust that has been kicked up by a faster runner, horse, or vehicle.

• "The company has currently no plans to switch away from the old designs, so they could very easily be left in the dust."
• "With that we parted. Presently after my friend overtook and passed me on a hired steed which seemed to scorn its cavalier; and I was left in the dust of his passage, a prey to whirling thoughts."
• "Also, a few good, active, progressive teachers in one school will set all the others to thinking. By selecting the most alert in each school, a little leaven will leaven the whole lump. The fear of being left in the dust of the procession is a spur if wisely directed."

• leave for dust