Idiom
come out swinging
Meaning
To initiate an encounter or interaction by behaving in an unrestrainedly aggressive, confrontational, or accusatory manner.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He came out swinging during the argument.”
“You always come out swinging when someone asks about your grades.”
“The players come out swinging every time they face their biggest rivals.”
“When the manager criticized her work, she came out swinging and defended her team's results.”
“After the newspaper published a negative review of his restaurant, the owner came out swinging on social media by posting photos of his clean kitchen.”
“The lawyer came out swinging during the first hour of the trial, accusing the witness of lying about the events of that night.”
“The candidate came out swinging at the start of the debate, immediately challenging his opponent's record on economic policy.”
Examples
simple
“He came out swinging during the argument.”
“You always come out swinging when someone asks about your grades.”
“The players come out swinging every time they face their biggest rivals.”
contextual
“When the manager criticized her work, she came out swinging and defended her team's results.”
“After the newspaper published a negative review of his restaurant, the owner came out swinging on social media by posting photos of his clean kitchen.”
“The lawyer came out swinging during the first hour of the trial, accusing the witness of lying about the events of that night.”
complex
“The candidate came out swinging at the start of the debate, immediately challenging his opponent's record on economic policy.”
Origin
The idiom alludes to the conduct of a boxer who enters a match, or commences a new round, by immediately throwing punches in an unrestrained and aggressive manner. It preserves the image of the opening bell, describing a combatant who prefers the immediate application of force to the cautious observation of his opponent.
Key words
Related idioms
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