land the first punch

1. Literally, to strike an opponent first. A: "Who landed the first punch?" B: "Tom, but Ben came back swinging. It's a real fight now!" I swung and missed, so the bully ended up landing the first punch—a direct hit to the nose.

2. To initiate a preemptive verbal attack, accusation, allegation, etc., in order to undermine someone or their agenda. We know they have dirt on us, so our campaign has to get out there and land the first punch in the media.

3. To score the first points in a game. That team is the lowest seed in the playoffs, so I'm shocked that they were able to land the first punch tonight.