One down, and a lot to go

[bartleby75]

Hi,

is it an idiomatic form 'one down, and a lot to go'?

This is the example I found: someone is trying to get in a shop, at night. He tries the front door, but it's locked tight. 'That's one down, and a lot to go', he thinks. And he tries to slip in through a window...

Is it an idiomatic way to mean something like: don't lose heart, it's just the first try...?

Thanks for your help.

 

[se16teddy]

Yes, it is idiomatic, though I suppose One down, x to go is the core idiom (where x is a numeral).

However, it does not necessarily mean 'don't lose heart' - it could ironically express despair or resignation as well.

 

[bartleby75]

Thanks,
now I'll go on the English-Italian forum to see if we can find the Italian idiom for that.

It's gonna be tough...but fun!