# bat a thousand

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/bat-a-thousand
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To achieve success at each attempt.

## Examples

- She is batting a thousand with her new business ideas.
- You are batting a thousand with all these great dinner suggestions.
- The team has been batting a thousand this season, winning every single game they have played so far.
- I managed to answer every question correctly on the final exam, so I am batting a thousand this semester.
- The young chef is batting a thousand because every customer has sent back a glowing review of the new menu.
- Given that he has batted a thousand in every negotiation this year, the board expects him to secure the contract easily.

## Origin

From the statistical conventions of baseball, in which a batting average is expressed as a decimal reflecting the number of hits achieved per 1000 at bats. A player who records a hit for every official appearance at the plate attains a score of 1.000, signifying a perfect performance. The figure 1000 represents the mathematical ideal of one hundred percent efficiency, provided one is willing to ignore the physical exhaustion such a record would imply.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.