The idiom 'steal a march on someone' is used to convey the phenomenon of taking advantage over someone and usually the taking of the advantage is secret. The term is quite often used in business terminology when a company is getting ahead of its competitor by using a method that can not be called a fair one. Given below is a sentence that can make you understand the idiom quite well as it is used in the context: A Industries has steal a march on its rival B Industries by buying the secrets of the tender that was filled by the B industries.
The prime words used in the term are 'steal' and 'march' and when you go through the meaning of these two words the reason behind the use of the term will become crystal clear. Steal is a word that is used to convey the idea of taking someone belongings without his permission and 'march' has several meanings but in this context it means to walk steadily. So the meaning of the term to go ahead by taking someone else's property can certainly be conveyed by the idiom.
The prime words used in the term are 'steal' and 'march' and when you go through the meaning of these two words the reason behind the use of the term will become crystal clear. Steal is a word that is used to convey the idea of taking someone belongings without his permission and 'march' has several meanings but in this context it means to walk steadily. So the meaning of the term to go ahead by taking someone else's property can certainly be conveyed by the idiom.