right off the bat

Idioms and Phrases

Instantly, immediately, as in I can't tell you how many right off the bat, but I can find out . This term alludes to a baseball being hit by a bat. [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

In other words, instead of spreading yourself too thin right off the bat, it can pay to sharpen your skills in one area first — like becoming a great chef — before branching out into new income streams or business ventures.

From Salon

With “Sweetpea,” just right off the bat, I really connected with that character, and I also felt like I really knew what they wanted to do with it, and I felt like I had ideas for them.

From Los Angeles Times

“We both knew he had a talent for it right off the bat.”

From Los Angeles Times

Right off the bat, the vice president called out her opponent's "callousness" in his response to the hurricane and storms that have decimated much of the southeastern states.

From Salon

When she first got into politics and was running the D.A.’s office in San Francisco, she had the Espinoza controversy right off the bat.

From Los Angeles Times