When one person beats another to the punch this means they did something first. One person has an advantage in this situation. In today’s competitive world, there are lots of chances to use this expression! Also, listen in to hear to be one step ahead and to have a head start. If you’ve already listened to this episode, then you’re one step ahead of the others!
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Expressions included in the learning materials
- To be around
- To beat someone to the punch
- Garage sale
- Second hand
- First come, first serve
- Man
- To ask someone out
- To be after someone
- To be one step ahead of someone
- To be cutthroat
- Dog eat dog
- To have a head start
- The odds are in your favour
- To pave the way
Sample transcript
| Andrew: | When you beat someone to the punch, you have an advantage over them. |
| Maura: | Right. And this expression could possibly be connected to boxing, and when I think of the word punch, I think about boxing. |
| Andrew: | They’re very connected, yeah. And when you’re boxing and manage to get the first punch out and hit your opponent, well you obviously have an advantage in that situation. |
| Maura: | Right. The person who gets punched first, maybe the weaker boxer or at least they don’t look like they’re very strong or their chances of winning seem to go down a bit. |
| Andrew: | Right. If you’re getting punched you’re not a very good boxer, I think. You wanna do the punching right. |
Audio/Learning Materials: Culips