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Vocabulary : Idioms : Sports : off your own bat

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off your own bat British English

Meaning: If you do something off your own bat, you do it without being asked to or told to.

For example:

  • I didn't tell the gardener to cut down the tree. He did it off his own bat.

  • One of the actresses decided, off her own bat, to change her lines in the movie. The director wasn't happy.

Origin: Possibly related to the game of cricket, in which a player scores runs by hitting the ball "off his own bat".

Variety: This idiom is typically used in British English but may be used in other varieties of English too.

Quick Quiz:

The production manager decided, off his own bat, to change the quality of the raw materials used in the factory. He did it
  1. without being asked to
  2. without planning to do it
  3. without knowing much about it

Discuss: off your own bat

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