victory lap

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈvɪkt(ə)ɹi læp/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: vic‧to‧ry lap

victory lap (plural victory laps)

1. (sports) A celebratory extra lap of the race track taken after the conclusion of a race.
2. (Canada, US, education, slang) One or more years of study beyond the traditional four taken to complete one's undergraduate degree.
   • 2013 February 25, Vivien Chang, “The myth of the four-year degree”, in Maclean's:

     It’s not just finances that lead to victory laps. Those who study abroad during undergraduate may find it difficult to earn enough credits to fulfill degree requirements in four years.

   • 2017 April 1, Peter Lenz, “The Clock Tower: The History, The Myths, and More”, in The Racquet:

     McNaughton continues, “I took a stroll underneath it before freshman year and I am going to be taking a victory lap.”

3. (Canada, chiefly Ontario, education, slang) One or more additional years of study in high school.
   • 2010 November 18, Patrick Brady; Philip Allingham, “Pathways to University: The ‘Victory Lap’ Phenomenon in Ontario”, in Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, number 113:

     An examination of the data generated by the survey instrument revealed the existence of a definitive gender disparity between the two groups in that 47.8% (22 of 46) of male respondents reported having taken a victory lap compared to 20.2% (21 of 104) of their female counterparts.

   • 2012 April 9, Teri Pecoskie, “A cap on the victory lap”, in Hamilton Spectator:

     Each year as many as 20,000 students head back for a so-called victory lap in Ontario's classrooms, which prompted the province to implement a 34-credit cap in a bid to save up to $22 million annually.

• lap of honor, lap of honour

• victory lap on Wikipedia.Wikipedia