half the battle

1. A successful beginning, as in You've got the shopping list done—that's half the battle. This expression is an abbreviation of an 18th-century proverb, “The first blow is half the battle.”

Example Sentences

In an attention-deficit economy where standing out is half the battle, the posts sparkle with unapologetic swagger.

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But getting to her was only half the battle; they still had to find some way to get her out of there.

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"Recognising it is half the battle," he told host Lauren Laverne.

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Wrangling that audience is half the battle, and when he has them in the palm of his hand with a quick succession of punchlines, Skinner flips the script to show off his dramatic chops.

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"Like only half the battle is creating the safe space. The other half of the battle is getting people to not do these things and not have these behaviours."

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