off and running

Idioms & Phrases

off and running

Making a good start, progressing well, as in After the first episode the new soap opera was off and running. Originating in horse racing, as the traditional announcement at the beginning of a race ("They're off and running"), this phrase began to be used more broadly in the second half of the 1900s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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