American English is full of colorful expressions. One such expression is to touch all bases. Itcomes from the sport of baseball.
There are four bases in baseball -- first, second and third. The fourth is home plate. Together, the bases form a diamond shape. When a baseball player hits the ball, he must run to eachbase -- in order -- and touch it with his foot. It is the only way to score a point. If the playerhits the ball and fails to touch all the bases, the point will not be counted.
The importance of touching all the bases was shown at the start of the nineteen seventy-fourbaseball season.
Hank Aaron was a player with the Atlanta Braves team. He was seeking the record for hittingthe most home runs. A home run is a ball that is hit over the wall. Aaron needed just one homerun to equal the record held by Babe Ruth, the greatest hitter in baseball history. Aaron gotthat home run the very first time he had a chance to hit the ball. He sent the ball over the wallthat surrounded the playing field. That gave him seven hundred and fourteen home runs -- thesame as Babe Ruth.
After that day, baseball fans held their breath every time it was Hank Aaron's turn to hit. When would he hit home run number seven hundred and fifteen?
The wait was not long. In the second week of the season, Aaron again hit the ball over the wall. He had beaten Babe Ruth's record. But first, he had to run around the four bases. The otherplayers on his team watched carefully to make sure he touched each one. If he did not, thehome run would not have counted. There would have been no new record.
So, to touch all bases means to do what is necessary to complete an activity.
The expression is used in business and politics. No business deal or political campaign is reallycomplete until you discuss all the issues involved. Or, as it is said, until you touch all bases.
Even professional diplomats use this expression, as well as others that come from baseball.
A diplomat in reporting on negotiations with diplomats from different countries may say they"touched all bases" during many hours of talks. This means they explored all issues involved inthe situation. Perhaps they did this after expressing hope that they could play ball with eachother, meaning that they could learn to cooperate.
Sports reporters write about fast-moving, lively events. They must develop a way of writingthat goes straight to the point. Their duty is to give the reader a complete picture of the eventin as few words as possible. They must touch all bases as quickly as they can.
1.touch all bases [美国口语](尤指协商、交换意见等)涉及一切有关细节，无所不包，面面俱到；多才多艺，无所不能
We need to touch all the bases before making adecision.
在做出决定之前,我们不得不考虑一切可能性。
2.home run 全垒打
Ruth hit sixty home runs that year.
露丝那一年击中了60个本垒打。
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