beat somebody to the punch

US /biːt ˈsʌm.bə.di tuː ðə pʌntʃ/
UK /biːt ˈsʌm.bə.di tuː ðə pʌntʃ/
"beat somebody to the punch" picture
1.

devancer, prendre les devants

to do something before someone else does it, especially to gain an advantage

:
I was about to suggest that, but you beat me to the punch.
J'étais sur le point de suggérer cela, mais tu m'as devancé.
The rival company tried to beat us to the punch by launching their product earlier.
L'entreprise rivale a essayé de nous devancer en lançant son produit plus tôt.