swing for the fences

swing for the fences

1. baseball Literally, to put all one's power into one's swing while batting so as to try to hit a home run. All they need is two more runs to win the game, so you can bet their star batter will come out swinging for the fences.
2. By extension, to put forward one's maximum amount of effort or energy (into or toward something); to act or perform with great intensity or effort. I wasn't sure about their state-appointed lawyer at first, but I was well impressed when he came out swinging for the fences on day one of the trial.
See also: fence, swing
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • at (one's) doorstep
  • at doorstep
  • at one's door
  • at (one's) door
  • at door
  • at (one's) expense
  • at somebody's expense
  • at someone's expense
  • at expense
  • (from) top to toe
References in periodicals archive
The Philippine women's softball team will swing for the fences to get a crack at a slot in the Tokyo Olympics next year.
It's a safe bet that none of the eight participants in this year's field, which no longer includes Milwaukee's Christian Yelich, the majors' home-run leader, will get blanked tonight as some of baseball's biggest bats swing for the fences while vying for $1 million the richest winning prize in the popular event's 34-year history.
There is a load of power in both line-ups, and the players will surely be tempted to swing for the fences in a game that is set to have an extraordinary atmosphere compared to a runof-the-mill regular- season game.
"I said I was going to swing for the fences. We did better than that y'all.
During your fitting, don't swing for the fences. Use your fairway finder for the fitting process.
It includes measurements such as Launch Angle and Exit Velocity, which encourage batters to accept strikeouts and swing for the fences. Last but not least, consider the modern emphasis on power pitching, and perhaps the results aren't really so surprising.
No prudent advisor, especially when serving as a fiduciary, would let anyone "swing for the fences" when their client's needs are modest and their capital base equally so.
"He's going to swing for the fences, get counter-punched and Floyd's knocking him out in two to three rounds."
Will they swing for the fences -- or aim for consistency?
In Silicon Valley, people are encouraged to swing for the fences and to "dent the universe," as Steve Jobs liked to say.
On their second time at bat, Alabama Shakes swing for the fences and knock it clear out of the park on the fierce, funky, and fantastic Sound & Color.
Chapter 55, Swing for the Fences: You miss all the shots in life you never take because you were too afraid of failure.
"We can swing for the fences here, which makes that a lot of fun,'' Johnson said.
Myers) were ready to swing for the fences. Potts said, "The morning started well, and we went to the places where we caught fish the day before.
The catalyst six years ago was entrepreneur-showman Lalit Modi's launch of the IPL and its high-speed, made-for-television version of the game--complete with gaudy uniforms, player auctions and incentives to swing for the fences at every occasion.