the second mouse gets the cheese

Referring to a mousetrap with cheese as bait: after a mouse is captured in it, another mouse is able to take the cheese.

the second mouse gets the cheese

1. Others reap the advantages after a first mover absorbs the loss of a first-mover disadvantage.
   • 2007 February 26, John J. Fialka, “Thrifty Electric Car Turns On One Town”, in The Wall Street Journal‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: Dow Jones & Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 August 2024:

     A product recall later sent his Livonia, Mich., company into bankruptcy. Its remains were sold to a Fargo businessman who moved the business there and later sold it to DaimlerChrysler, just as California's first electric car mandates were looming. "We were the story of how the second mouse gets the cheese," Mr. [Dan] Sturges says.

   • 2009 August 20, James Fallows, “More reassuring news: new life for Eclipse?”, in James Bennet, editor, The Atlantic‎^[2], Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 16 November 2011:

     Operating on what is often known as the "second mouse gets the cheese" principle, [Mason] Holland appears to be interested in retaining what was valuable about the airplane's design, after the wreck of the original company's finances.

   • 2013 March 26, Fred Kerber, “Knicks’ Chandler hoping to play tonight vs. Celtics”, in New York Post‎^[3], New York, N.Y.: News Corp, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 10 August 2025:

     BOSTON — Discretion is the better part of valor. Prevention is better than cure. The second mouse gets the cheese. Sometimes, caution is the way to go. So the Knicks have listed Tyson Chandler as “questionable” tonight against the Celtics in Boston. Chandler has missed the last six games, primarily because of a bulging disk in his neck, although he also has battled a bone bruise in his left knee.

   • 2016 July 22, David Berman, Tim Kiladze, “Shaking up Scotiabank: Brian Porter’s vision for a bank of the future”, in The Globe and Mail‎^[4], Toronto, ON: The Woodbridge Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 September 2022:

     "There was a saying around here: The second mouse gets the cheese," he [Chris Ford] said of Scotiabank's historic aversion to tech spending. "There's no advantage to being a first mover.

   • 2024 July 6, Patrick Iversen, “F1 British GP live updates: Lewis Hamilton wins amazing race at Silverstone”, in The Athletic‎^[5], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 10 August 2025:

     Love to see a Haas tucked in behind the Mercedes/Red Bull/McLaren chaos that might unfold when lights go out. Second mouse gets the cheese!

• Often used in conjunction with the early bird gets the worm.