To seize an opportunity at the earliest possible moment. This expression, which is undoubtedly American and became a cliché in the late 1970s, is of disputed origin. According to New York Times columnist William Safire, some believe it originated in one of several arenas of World War II—as an instruction given to paratroopers (as to what to do when they land), or to soldiers dropped into a combat zone by helicopter, or to naval personnel landing on a beach. Another authority maintains that it comes from hoboes or other stowaways jumping off a freight train as it nears a station in order to escape capture. Still another theory traces the term to horseback riders, first in the Pony Express, when they “hit the ground running” so as to avoid delays when changing mounts, and later in rodeos, when they got up and away quickly after being thrown from a horse that might try to stomp them on the ground.