on the crest of a wave

O

on the crest of a wave

Meaning

• to reach the highest point of success
• at the top level of achievements
• be very successful so that many good things happen very quickly

Example Sentences

1. The music band comprising engineering students is currently on the crest of a wave, with a launch of new album it has planned for next year.
2. He has reached the crest of the wave with his new book.
3. The football team is riding the crest of a wave after their last win.
4. The singer is riding the crest of a wave and will be going on tour next Summer.
5. The beautiful actress was murdered right when she just reached on the crest of the wave.

Origin

The crest of a wave is the top part that contains the foam. This is the very top part of the wave. If you say that someone is on the crest of a wave it means that they are right at the top. The verb crest means to reach the highest point. By definition a wave will have a high point (the crest) before it crashes down. A wave does not sustain the crest indefinitely. Thus, you are predicting that the person has reached the high point and a downward turn is inevitable.

The phrase is often accompanied by riding the making the sentence “riding the crest of a wave.” This insinuates that the person is being swept along and they no longer have control over the situation.

The word, crest also means “to come over the top of.” It has been used in this context since the 1830s.

Ocean, Success, Water