[beat] {sb} to the punch
1
to do something before someone else does it
Its origins date back to boxing in the early 20th century, where a boxer who threw the first punch had a significant advantage over their opponent. The term was then adopted into everyday language to refer to getting ahead of someone in a non-physical sense. It became popular in the 1920s and 1930s, particularly in the United States, and has remained in use ever since.
- The quick-thinking child was able to come up with a solution, beating her parents to the punch and solving the problem on her own.
- The student submitted her term paper early, beating her classmates to the punch and impressing her professor with her diligence and quality of work.