bat1

 
Pronunciation: /bat/

noun

  • an implement with a handle and a solid surface, typically of wood, used for hitting the ball in games such as cricket, baseball, and table tennis: [with modifier]: a cricket bat
  • a turn at playing with a bat.
  • a person batting, especially in cricket; a batsman: the team’s opening bat
  • each of a pair of objects resembling table tennis bats, used by a person on the ground to guide a taxiing aircraft.
  • a slab on which pottery is formed, dried, or fired.

verb (bats, batting, batted)

[no object]
  • 1(of a sports team or player) take the role of hitting rather than throwing the ball: Australia reached 263 for 4 after choosing to bat
  • (bat for (or go to bat for)) informal, chiefly North American defend the interests of; support: she turned out to have the law batting for her
  • 2 [with object and adverbial of direction] hit at (someone or something) with the flat of one’s hand: he batted the flies away

Phrases

bat a thousand

US informal
be very successful; achieve perfection: with tortellini in brodo, I batted a thousand—both kids had seconds

off one's own bat

British at one’s own instigation; spontaneously: when he didn’t chase the dog she came back off her own bat

right off the bat

North American at the very beginning; straight away: I managed to have a disagreement with him right off the bat

Phrasal Verbs

bat around (or about)

informal, chiefly North American travel widely, frequently, or casually: I’m always batting around between England and America

bat something around (or about)

informal discuss an idea or proposal casually or idly: we bat around a wide variety of issues

Origin:

late Old English batt 'club, stick, staff', perhaps partly from Old French batte, from battre 'to strike'