miss the boat - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Allusion to failing to catch a boat in time, effectively “missing” the boat. Popular since the 1920s.
miss the boat (third-person singular simple present misses the boat, present participle missing the boat, simple past and past participle missed the boat)
- (intransitive) To fail to take advantage of an opportunity; to overlook or be too late to pursue an option or course of action.
The price discount ended yesterday and I just missed the boat on a great deal.
As for food delivery technology, our company missed the boat, the harbor, and the ocean.
fail to take advantage of an opportunity