Touch base

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Grammarist

To touch base is to talk to or make contact with someone briefly, usually used with the word ‘with’. In its other forms it is touching base, touched base, or touches base. It does not require the use of quotation marks.

The forms touch bases or touch basis are incorrect.

While there is little proof, most people agree that the idiom somehow came from American baseball. In baseball a player must touch each base as he or she runs around the field after hitting a homerun. Also, the player must touch a base in order to be considered safe after hitting a ball.

Examples

“You have to communicate with your partners and touch base with them, checking in with everyone else on the production staff before making serious decisions,” Henninger said. [Toledo Free Press]

In the week leading up to the Demons-Cats game, the group spent only a few minutes together at training, comparing notes about what to expect in the game, although they will touch base electronically at various stages to throw around ideas and discuss key themes. [AFL]

And, when he’s not “busy” being retired, Rubin still touches base regularly with many of his former players. [Dorchester Reporter]

As the Sooners opened up fall camp on Friday, Stoops was once again asked about Sumlin and whether or not the two coaches have touched base since the latest comments. [NBC Sports]

“All I’m doing today is touching base and continuing to have good dialogue,” he said. [WRAL]