off one's own bat
- idiom
- UK
:
por iniciativa propia
- I do believe Hilary did it off his own bat and at great personal risk.
Examples
-
He wrote the report off his own bat, showcasing his initiative and independence.
-
She decided to organize the charity event off her own bat, without waiting for anyone's approval.
-
They launched the new product off their own bat, taking the risk without any external support.
Synonyms
121
2.9
Without help from other people
4
5.3
In a way that is independent and not controlled by others
1
5.3
Using your own effort without help from others
Antonyms
How Independent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The combination 'one's own' (possession/independence) plus 'off' (from/originating) gives a clear cue that the action comes from the person themselves, so learners can partially infer the idea of doing something independently. However, 'bat' does not contribute a literal meaning and the phrase is an idiomatic, chiefly British collocation, so the full sense ('on one's own initiative') is not fully predictable to a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
The idiom off one's own bat may come from cricket: when a batsman scores by hitting the ball with his own bat, the runs are clearly his own work. That's why the phrase means 'acting independently' or 'doing something without being asked or helped'.