"step up to the plate"

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Thu, Mar 24, 2005 at 01:17:33PM -0800, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
> Politicians and talking heads use this metaphor all the
> time, but it's not in OED.  One definition might be, "to
> face a situation or make a decision squarely and
> confidently."

We do have a draft entry for this, with first quotations of
1875 (literal) and 1919 (figurative).

Jesse Sheidlower
OED