Would you explain why "first off" means "right now ,immediately

Question

I heard someone said " First off , blah,blah.,.blah..." in the begining of speech. then I am curious about what it means.
I found it means "right away,right now". by the way , I was wondering why it means like that.

And "First thing off the bat" have the same meaning with "first off"

Could you tell me your thinking about it ?

eg- He decided his mind first thing off the bat

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

I heard someone said " First off , blah,blah.,.blah..." in the begining of speech. then I am curious about what it means.
I found it means "right away,right now". by the way , I was wondering why it means like that. - First off at the beginning of a sentence simply means 'first' (as in 'first', 'second', 'third').

And "First off the bat" and 'First thing' have the same meaning with "first off"-- Yes, with more emphasis. Notice that I have edited your question; your original phrase was a muddle of two others. You have also muddled your example sentence, which should be one of these:

He decided first thing / first off the bat.
He made up his mind first thing / first off the bat.

Avangi · Answer

Hi guys,
This is the first time I've heard the expression "First off the bat," but I've heard "Right off the bat" all my life. I'm guessing the two expressions have different shades of meaning, but I'm not sure.
"First off" and "First thing" seem to imply that a second thing will follow.
My understanding of "Right off the bat" is that something must be done immediately -- without delay.
"Before we do anything else" is sort of a corollary, but a second thing doesn't seem to be implied.
"Let's get one thing straight right off the bat!" is a typical usage. "First off the bat" doesn't seem to work here.

Any comments on "first of the bat" vs. "right off the bat"?

Many thanks! - A.

Mister Micawber · Answer

AvangiAny comments on "first of the bat" vs. "right off the bat"?

'First off the bat'? Did I mistype or did you? I find them easy synonyms in conversation.

Enoon · Answer

I find "first off the bat" to be a conflation of "first off" and "right off the bat". I suggest that learners avoid using "first off the bat". Another precinct heard from.

Avangi · Answer

Mister Micawber Did I mistype or did you?

'Twas I.

Avangi · Answer

enoonAnother precinct heard from.

Happy to hear from you, enoon.
Having played a little baseball as a child, and agreeing with Lou Gehrig that baseball is "the only game" (hope I'm right!), I picture the pitcher catching a hot line drive right off the bat. That's immediacy! (compared to a ground ball through the short stop, followed by a relay getting the runner out at home)
What's the scenario for "first off the bat?" A foul back over the screen?

Best regards, - A.

Edit. Nope, it wasn't Lou Gehrig. Maybe Babe Ruth.

Enoon · Answer

Always nice to see you, too. I find both those expressions mystifying. I am reminded of the SNL skit where Belushi is giving a color report as part of the news, telling us how the saying "March come in like a lion and goes out like a lamb" is expressed around the world. In one country, March comes in like an emu and goes out like a tapir, and they don't even know what it means.

Anonymous · Answer

ljswave's example 'He decided his mind first thing off the bat ' does not make sense.  'first off' is not a phrase that I would use - in my opinion, it is not good English.  The only sense in which I might use it would be for the first of a list of things.  For example, "Why do I like you?  First off, because you are funny.  Secondly, because you speak English; and thirdly because you have black hair."

Would you explain why "first off" means "right now ,immediately

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