1
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Phrase(s): strike out (at someone or something)
to hit at someone or something with the intention of threatening or harming. • Dave would strike out at anyone who came near him, but it was all bluff. • He was mad, and when anyone came close, he struck out., Phrase(s): strike something out
to cross something out of a section of printing or writing. • This is wrong. Please strike it out. • Strike out this sentence., Phrase(s): strike out
1. Lit. [for a baseball batter] to be declared out after making three strikes. (Baseball.) • And so Drew Wilson strikes out for his second time in this game! • He struck out in the second inning, and the manager took him out then. 2. Fig. to fail. • Well, we struck out again, but we’ll keep trying. • I hear you struck out on that Acme proposal. Better luck next time.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
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general::
1. Cancel or erase, as in Strike out that last sentence, please. [Early 1500s] 2. Begin a course of action, set out energetically, as in Elaine was determined to strike out on her own. [Early 1700s] 3. Fail in an endeavor, as in His latest business venture has struck out. This usage originated in baseball, where it refers to a batter's failure to put the ball in play (Williams struck out three times in yesterday's game), as well as to a pitcher's success in eliminating a batter (Clemens struck him out again in the fourth inning). [Late 1800s]
American Heritage Idioms