Quick/fast out of the (starting) blocks

Origin of: Quick/fast out of the (starting) blocks

Quick/fast out of the (starting) blocks

The figurative meaning is to be mentally or physically quick off the mark and dates from the 1950s. The allusion is of course to the starting blocks used in sprint races. Starting blocks only began to appear in the early 1930s. Before this, sprint athletes used to dig holes in the turf. The first Olympic Games to use starting blocks were the London Games in 1948.