Englishbeat someone to the punch
Meaning: To do something before someone else does it.
Example: “I was going to buy that house, but another couple beat me to the punch.”
Origin: Straight out of the boxing ring: landing a punch a fraction of a second before an opponent finishes throwing their own is a real, decisive advantage in a fight, since the first blow can end an exchange before the second ever lands. American sportswriters were already using "beat him to the punch" this way in fight reports by 1910, with newspapers like the New York Evening World popularizing the shortened form soon after; the specifically boxing sense is on record from 1913, and the figurative use for acting first in any competitive situation followed within just a few years.
More English idioms
- beyond the pale Beyond or outside the limits of morally or socially acceptable behavior.
- big shot An important, powerful, or influential person.
- big wheel An important, powerful, or influential person.
- black and blue Discolored from a bruise; injured in a fight either physically or verbally.
- black out To lose consciousness temporarily.
- toot one's own horn To boast or brag.
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