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bat noun [ bat ]

• an implement with a handle and a solid surface, typically of wood, used for hitting the ball in games such as cricket, baseball, and table tennis.
• "a cricket bat"

bat verb

• (of a sports team or player) take the role of hitting rather than throwing the ball.
• "Australia reached 263 for 4 after choosing to bat"
• hit at (someone or something) with the flat of one's hand.
• "he batted the flies away"
Origin: late Old English batt ‘club, stick, staff’, perhaps partly from Old French batte, from battre ‘to strike’.

bat noun

• a mainly nocturnal mammal capable of sustained flight, with membranous wings that extend between the fingers and limbs.
• a woman regarded as unattractive or unpleasant.
• "some deranged old bat"
Origin: late 16th century: alteration, perhaps by association with medieval Latin batta, blacta, of Middle English bakke, of Scandinavian origin.

bat verb

• flutter (one's eyelashes or eyelids), typically in a flirtatious manner.
• "she batted her long dark eyelashes at him"
Origin: late 19th century (originally US): from dialect and US bat ‘to wink, blink’, variant of obsolete bate ‘to flutter’.

bat a thousand

• be very successful; achieve perfection.
"with tortellini in brodo, I batted a thousand—both kids had seconds"

bat for the other team

• be gay.
"I'm sorry to break the news to you ladies but I think he may bat for the other team"

go to bat for

• defend the interests of; support.
"Jim continues to go to bat for his employees and still manages a booming business"

off one's own bat

• at one's own instigation; spontaneously.
"when he didn't chase the dog she came back off her own bat"

right off the bat

• at the very beginning; straight away.
"I managed to have a disagreement with him right off the bat"

bat around

• discuss an idea or proposal casually or idly.
"we bat around a wide variety of issues"

bat for

• defend someone's interests; support someone.
"Roger gives me advice on legal stuff but I really need someone batting for me regarding contracts and that kind of thing"


have bats in the belfry

• be eccentric or mad.
"I'm goofy, I'm daft, there's bats in my belfry"

like a bat out of hell

• very fast and wildly.
"he was driving like a bat out of hell"


not bat an eye

• show no surprise or concern.
"when he told me what he'd done, I didn't bat an eye"

without batting an eyelid

• showing no surprise or concern.
"Hill took the bet without batting an eyelid"

without batting an eye

• showing no surprise or concern.
"he read it without batting an eyelash"



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