bat around

Verb

bat around (third-person singular simple present bats around, present participle batting around, simple past and past participle batted around)

1. (intransitive) To have each of a team's batting line-up positions complete an at-bat in the same half-inning.
   • If the teams do not have the same number of players, the team with the greater number of players bats around once per inning, and the team with the smaller number of players will bat an equal number of times as the opposing team,[…].1965, Recreation, National Recreation Association, page 498
   • […]the Braves knocked Bunning out, batting around and scoring six runs in the fourth inning. They then scored four more runs the next inning, batting around once again against Dallas Green[…].2005, John P. Rossi, The 1964 Phillies: The Story of Baseball's Most Memorable Collapse, McFarland, →ISBN, page 128
   1. (intransitive) To have a team's first batter of the inning come to bat for a second time (after all of the others in the batting line-up have batted). (See the usage note below.)
2. (informal, transitive) To discuss.
   • I think we've batted this idea around enough to take a decision.
3. (informal, intransitive) To flit quickly from place to place.
   • You must be tired after batting around all day.
4. (informal, intransitive) To waste time; to idle or loaf.