advance guard, airhead, avant-garde, battle line, be the bellwether, beachhead, beacon, blaze the trail, break the ice, bridgehead, cutting edge, farthest outpost, first line, forefront, front-runner, front, front line, front rank, get ahead of, get before, go before, guide, have the start, head, head the line, initiate, lap, launch, lead, lead the dance, lead the way, light the way, line, outguard, outpost, outstrip, pace, pioneer, point, precede, precursor, railhead, scout, set the pace, stand first, take the initiative, take the lead, van, vanguard