level playing field
条件相当的竞争环境
level playing field字面上的意思是「平坦的竞赛场地」这个词组是以「场地的平坦」来比喻「竞争条件相等」。
With Perot siphoning votes from Bush among conservatives，Clinton can now contend honorably in Texas and Florida. Notes Tad Deving，a veteran Democratic number cruncher: “Perot’s presence pulls Bush off the electoral Mount Olympus he would otherwise be perched upon and deposits him onto a much more competitive level playing field:’(出自：TIME，Jun. 1，1992，p. 34 )
裴洛吸走了布什在保守派间的选票，柯林顿现在可以在德州和佛 罗里达州光荣地竞争。民主党资深分析家德文表示：「布什在选 战中本来稳居奥林匹亚山巅，裴洛出现后把他拉了下来，将他置 于更有得拚的相等竞争环境中。」